Into the Arms of Death
by ADeliciousAmbiguity
Summary: NM AU - Bella is immediately enthralled with Aro when she meets him - having already given up on a relationship with Edward. She quickly agrees to stay in Volterra instead of returning home with Alice and Edward - figuring to be killed or changed by them is preferable to whatever Victoria has planned. Is it? Or is she stepping right into the arms of a different killer? BPOV - OOC
1. In the Belly of the Beast

A/N: So... this is my first attempt at Fan Fiction, even though I've been reading it for years. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

My eyes were drawn to him - ever since walking into the throne room I felt as if I couldn't look away. They were the brightest red I had ever seen - and they seemed to be just as drawn to me as I was to them.

I wondered idly if this was a predatory response. If everything about them was designed to draw me in, and he was the most powerful vampire on earth... perhaps that explained why I couldn't look away.

I wanted to believe that - but I felt an insane attraction that went far beyond what he would need to just drink my blood.

I blinked hard trying to dispel the feeling. Looking to my left, I saw Edward. Apparently, he'd been speaking the whole time and I could only hope he hadn't noticed my preoccupation with who I could only assume was Aro - the sinfully delicious dark haired man sitting in the middle throne.

Of course, if I had been paying more attention I would probably know the answer to that already. I steeled myself to look back at him, and actually take in his words this time.

I caught him mid-sentence, "...I do so love a happy ending."

Wait was he talking about me? My happy ending with Edward? Uh - I don't think so. Should I interject? I decided he deserved to be let down in private...

Seconds later, before anything else could be said - Alice gasped and so did Edward. I involuntarily winced, knowing it was my decision that prompted it.

Oops. I refused to feel too badly about it, though. It's not like he didn't break up with me first. Did he really expect me to reconcile with him just because he admitted he lied?

I rolled my eyes. _Probably._ This was Edward we were talking about.

Aro apparently couldn't stand to be kept in the dark, and walked right up to Edward, grabbing his hand with no preliminaries. His eyebrows rose, and he looked at me speculatively.

"Well, that changes things..." he murmured. His eyes roamed my features for a second, before he seemed to come to a decision.

Alice gasped again, and this time Edward's whole body cringed from what he heard. Aro still hadn't let go of his hand, so he was also aware of the vision.

I wondered, morbidly - if they just saw my death. For some odd reason, I wasn't terribly alarmed. I figured it was the vampiric hypnotism I was obviously a victim of. If Aro had reached out to kill me at that moment, I would have gone into his arms willingly.

"Isabella," Aro spoke again, and I swear if it felt like I melted into a puddle, right there, "you are immune to Edward's gift. I wonder if you are also an exception to mine?" He raised his eyebrows, and held his hand out.

I assumed I needed to touch him for his gift to work - and I didn't mind _at all_.

I reached out, eagerly. Perhaps, a bit _too_ eagerly - but I officially had no shame it seemed.

His skin was colder than Edward's... but smoother and I felt tingles shoot from my palms all the way up my arm. I wanted to stroke his hand, but even in my muddled state I knew this would be too much.

I think he enjoyed my touch, as well. He seemed to linger for several beats before finally saying, "Fascinating. I wonder if you're immune to _all _our gifts..." his voice trailed off, and he gave a significant look to someone standing along the wall behind me.

Edward's whole body tensed with a growl, but this didn't seem to faze anyone, least of all Aro. He must have realized the uselessness of the protest, because as quickly as it began, it stopped. And I waited with bated breath for something to occur.

After an excruciating 30 seconds, Aro burst out into laughter.

"Well. I suppose that's a yes." He clapped his hands, and glanced over at the thrones. I couldn't see his expression, or any discernable reaction from either of the kings, but whatever he saw seemed to please him greatly and he dropped his gaze and turned back to me.

"Isabella," he purred - and my stomach tightened, "you are staying here, it seems."

My eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, and I glanced at Alice and Edward. Their resigned expressions indicated this was indeed a fact, and I decided not to fight it. Not only was I extraordinarily attracted to Aro, but I knew the law, and since Edward and I were no longer together - Victoria continued to hunt me, incessantly and there were no other vampires willing to turn me... what _were_ my other options anyway?

I managed to think it through in record time, and found myself simply nodding. It wasn't a question, anyway.

I heard a quiet gasp from the direction of the thrones - and glanced sharply in tandem with Aro - towards the source.

The dark haired king, Marcus was it? - seemed speechless as he looked between Aro and I. Edward made a noise and glancing back at his face, I could tell whatever he heard pissed him off all the more. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes black, and I found myself involuntarily stepping away from him.

This seemed to bring him back to his senses - but not in time to avoid my instinctual cringe when he reached for me. I saw the flash of pain on his face, and schooled my features to look apologetic. But, truthfully I was starting to care less and less for his feelings. Much, I think, as he'd already done with mine.

So - we weren't together anymore. It's not like we both hadn't had months to acclimate to _that_ new reality. I was starting to get annoyed with his attitude and he hadn't even said anything yet.

I had a feeling we needed to wrap this up, before it got ugly.

I turned my attention back to Aro with what I hoped was an expectant look - and not a lustful one. His eyebrow went up at this - so it really could have been either.

"Jane, dear - why don't you get Isabella settled into a guest room." He commanded. She slithered up to me, without making a sound, and just held her hand out for mine.

I spared Alice and Edward another glance of goodbye - and found them both looking at me with worry. I couldn't decide what would be appropriate for this scenario, so I let it go with nothing - simply turning and following Jane from the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, two voices seemed to start shouting simultaneously. I knew it was Edward and Alice, and I purposely tried to tune it out.

Jane and I walked side by side, still holding hands - down a dark corridor. The hall seemed to go on for miles, but we suddenly took a left and then a sharp right and I stopped trying to remember the way. Everything was so beautiful here. Art dotted the entire path. Vases on pedestals, paintings, sculptures, I felt my eyes glaze over from entirely too many beautiful things in too short a period of time. My eyes continued to sightlessly wander, until we suddenly came to a stop. We must have walked for at least 15 minutes! I found myself, once again, in awe. And I hadn't even seen my room yet…

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! Even if it's only a single sentence, I'd like to get an idea of what everyone thinks. Thanks, again. A


	2. Probably not a snack

Chapter 2

Jane opened the door in front of us, and flicked a switch on the wall - a gorgeous old chandelier in the middle of the room lit up. I glanced around realizing the room was a suite. We were in the middle of a lovely sitting area.

Jane spoke for the first time, in a calm somewhat detached voice - "I'm sure you'll find everything you need in here. This room is designed for humans. There are even some refreshments in the small refrigerator," she pointed towards a cabinet in the corner, "over there. I'm sure there are at least a few items of clothing in the closet that will fit you, if you'd like to freshen up."

I glanced down self-consciously at that, but Jane didn't appear to be making an observation, just polite chit chat - so I decided not to take offense.

I sat down wearily on the sofa with a deep sigh, and looked back at Jane with the friendliest expression I could muster after the day's events.

"Thank you, Jane. I appreciate it." I stretched my lips in a smile that felt mildly alien and tried to continue without letting it go, "please thank Aro for me, as well. I certainly didn't expect such lovely accommodations."

At this, Jane's expression finally melted into a mildly amused smirk – "Anticipating something more dungeon-like, were you?"

I couldn't help but nod and laugh lightly.

Jane looked down and seemed to nod to herself minutely. She glided over to perch next to me on the sofa and seemed shocked that my expression didn't change. This time her smirk was bigger, and small light seemed to come into her eyes.

"Isabella –" I couldn't help but interrupt immediately – "Just Bella, please."

She sighed and flashed me an annoyed look before starting over, "Bella, I cannot say with any certainty, but Master Aro favors very few. The reprieve you've been granted today is unprecedented. I don't know what he plans for your future here with the Volturi, but be assured you are _probably_ not a snack. You will be treated very well here, because Master Aro is the only one with authority enough to decide your fate now – making your health and happiness important to us all."

I had no idea how to respond to that – frankly, I didn't really feel the word important was the right one to use in this case. I mean really – we hadn't even had a discussion about the future. It seemed nothing other than my spending the night in this lavish room was assured. Jane seemed to feel differently, though – and I decided to focus on the fact that I was _probably_ not going to die, and even if I did – my last moments would assuredly be comfortable. _Awesome._

I nodded, instead of responding. And relaxed back into the incredibly comfortable couch with another sigh, this one infinitely wearier than the last.

She seemed to sense this, and rose.

"I'll be back later to check on you. Are you hungry now or would you like to wait a bit for dinner?"

She sounded very genuine – like she wouldn't be put out if I asked… so I couldn't help myself. I was famished.

"I'd love something to eat now. I haven't eaten since the plane ride – and that food was subpar, to say the least."

She snickered a little and moved towards the door. "No trouble, Bella. I'll be back in a few minutes. Any preferences?"

I was surprised by this – I didn't really assume there were many choices available, so I decided not to trouble her with anything specific.

"Whatever you have is fine. Thanks, Jane."

She nodded and left.

I glanced around the room once more – without an audience, I didn't try to hide my dazzled reaction at the lush furnishings, and soon found myself walking toward the bedroom to look at the rest.

A large king size bed dominated the room, set against a large bank of windows. I walked over to inspect my view, and saw that I faced a large courtyard. Peering out, I couldn't help but wonder just how large the castle was. The courtyard was circular – at least 2 acres wide, and surrounding it on all sides were additional wings of the castle. It was yet another awe-inspiring sight.

The grounds themselves were meticulously kept, and sectioned into several small gardens with sitting areas, surrounding one large open space. I imagined if they entertained at least 100+ guests and a full orchestra could fit in it.

I shook my head at the extravagance, and turned toward the last two unexplored areas. My bathroom and closet.

I couldn't really care less about the closet, so I turned toward the bathroom instead and couldn't hold in my gasp of shock when I saw it.

It was half as large as my bedroom, with a full stand up shower, and a large Jacuzzi style tub. Everything was white marble and not a speck of dirt or dust to be seen.

I'd always hated the color white, not only for its blandness but every single spec of dirt seemed highlighted by its light color. Anything white seemed to need to be cleaned 3 times as often.

I chuckled a little thinking that if I had vampire speed I might not worry about it, though. The whole restroom could probably be cleaned thoroughly in 30 seconds or less.

I shut the door and went back to the sitting room, not even sparing a glance toward the closet. I'd see it soon enough – and whatever was in there would work out well enough for the time being. In the event I didn't turn out to be a snack, I'd have to go shopping for my own clothes, anyway. It's not like they were anticipating my arrival.

By the time I returned, Jane was already back – setting my dinner plates on a writing desk in the corner and arranging the cutlery and napkin.

"There are bottles of water and juice in the refrigerator, if you'd like something to drink."

I automatically walked towards it, and couldn't hold in a laugh when I saw the vampire equivalent of "human refreshments."

"Canned apple juice, beef jerky and M&M's? Really? Is that meant to sustain someone?" I asked, in between chuckles.

"Well… the shelf life on them is close to 10 years – so if the room goes unused for a while, at least they don't have to be constantly replaced."

It was a good point, and one I hadn't considered. Though I was sure there were other healthier options with the same type of longevity available.

I didn't complain, though. I was secretly pleased, and hoped I would live long enough to have some.

After grabbing an apple juice, I walked over to Jane, and noticed that she didn't seem in a rush to leave. I wondered at this. Edward had indicated that the Volturi had a less than savory view of humans… however; I decided then not to judge and to treat her as I would any other unknown vampire. Caution and friendliness. I always secretly hoped if I was nice enough, they'd feel too guilty to murder me.

Here goes nothing… "So, Jane – have you lived here long?"

She seemed surprised by my question, and seemed to answer automatically. "All of my vampire life. Around 400 years."

I loved how offhandedly vampires said such things, like it was no big deal.

"Do you like Italy, then – or just the Volturi?" I tried to match her casualness, but I didn't think I could keep the amazement out of my tone, despite how hard I tried.

"The Volturi, of course. Not that Italy is bad, but my duties take up the majority of my time."

I wasn't sure where to go with the conversation at that point, so I focused on my food for a moment to see if she'd pick up the conversational thread.

"Are you Italian?" she asked. I'd been getting this question my entire life. Despite the fact that a name like Isabella Marie Swan sort of gave it away.

"My family is. My Grandma Swan immigrated to America at the turn of the century."

She nodded, politely – seeming to think about what to say next. I didn't want the conversation to get awkward, so I quickly asked where she was from.

"The Americas, actually. Aro found my brother and I during the Salem Witch Trials. I don't remember too terribly much about my human life, so I'm not sure about my heritage."

I cringed, visibly – feeling bad that I'd asked. "Wow. I'm so sorry. Were you on trial?" I didn't really know that much about the Salem witch hunts, other than the fact that the trails were brutal for anyone accused of witchcraft and the only way to "pass" any of the tests was to succumb to torture and die a horrifying death. Seeing as Jane was turned fairly young, I assumed she'd been close to death and probably on "trial."

"Yes." she said nothing more, and no more was really needed. The more I thought about it, she'd said it all.

I couldn't help myself. I reached out and grasped her hand. The cold didn't shock me, but the fact that she squeezed my hand back, did.

I changed the subject, before she could become overwhelmed with memories.

"So - your brother too, then? Is he a part of the guard?" I hoped my change of subject wasn't as obvious to her as it was to me.

"Yes, he was standing next to me in the throne room. The short dark haired boy. We are twins, despite the fact that we share very few characteristics."

"Well, that's lovely. I always wanted a sibling. But a twin! That's SO much better. Someone to share everything with..." my voice trailed off wistfully. I'd always hated being an only child.

She smiled, and this time it was a real smile. Full of teeth - and despite the fact that I knew she didn't mean it that way - a bit menacing. I prayed my face didn't show my full reaction.

"Yes. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have him in my vampire life, forever." She just kept that smile going, too. I really couldn't help but involuntarily smile back.

I looked back down at my plate, glad that if there had to be a pause in the conversation, at least it was on a positive note.

My meal consisted of Pesto Tortellini, Garlic Bread and a small salad with some sort of oily vinegar dressing. It was delicious, but I hadn't been eating well these last few months, and the few bites I'd taken at the beginning of our talk were nearly enough to fill me up. Not wanting to seem unhealthy, I tried to eat more. Another bite of pasta and a swig of juice, and I was sure I'd become sick if I tried to keep it up.

I set my fork down with a sigh. My online research told me after starving yourself for any length of time, it's necessary to restretch the stomach, an uncomfortable and sometimes painful process. I didn't have the proper motivation to go through all that, so I found if I ate just a few bites of whatever I was eating, I could pull an Edward and just move the rest around on my plate, and most people wouldn't notice.

Jane wasn't that easy to fool, though.

"I thought you said you were hungry..." she said with a significant look at the nearly full plate.

Moment of truth... do I tell her I have an eating disorder, that I misjudged my appetite or that I have severe depression problems that occasionally cause me to starve myself? I knew she could probably hear my stomach growling earlier, so it really did me no good to go with the misjudgment one... decisions, decisions...

Thankfully, the choice was taken out of my hands when someone knocked on the door, grabbing Jane's full attention.

Surely, she'd heard them coming? Super senses, my ass.

She went to the door, opening it and stepping back for someone to enter in what appeared a single blink of my eyes. Jesus, I think Edward's family must have been toning it WAY down to make me feel more comfortable.

Aro appeared in the doorway, and I just knew they could both hear my heartbeat stutter when I saw him.

A/N: Thanks for continuing to read! I'm going to try to post chapter 3 today, too - but it needs a bit more work... Please review. A


	3. Conversation with my killer

Chapter 3

Jane quickly murmured, "Bella, I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be back in the morning to take you to the kitchens for breakfast."

I smiled, genuinely, without even meaning to - it caught me by surprise. "Thanks, Jane. Have a good night."

I think she said "You, too." on her way out the door. But it was low, and she was shutting the door softly before I could be certain.

I turned my gaze to Aro. I was taken aback once again by his otherworldly attractiveness. It must have been his age, but he seemed so much _more_ than the other vampires I'd met in the past. His skin seemed to be a less unnatural looking white, his eyes not the demonic red I'd seen on James or Victoria – but a vivid ruby, with different faucets and everything. Full of hidden depth. They contrasted beautifully with his long black hair, and his _body! _Swoon. While not the size of a bodybuilder – it was still obvious he had a muscled physique, even in that black suit - the jacket strained somewhat at the shoulders, and he had it open – showcasing his broad chest, the tie seeming to point straight toward his… was that a _bulge_ in his trousers? I knew I was blushing just thinking about it. I looked away, but my eyes were drawn right back to him, and he seemed to be smiling _very_ widely at me. Like I had done something truly remarkable or maybe just at my shameless perusal of his figure, but without thinking about it, I frowned at him a little and he must have understood my confusion because he elaborated without pause.

"I'm very glad you and Jane are getting along so well. She's a very private person, and her gift deters most of the guard from developing friendships with her."

I nodded, trying not to show my relief that he _hadn't_ noticed my lingering gaze - even though I had no idea what her gift was supposed to have done to me. I said as much, without thought.

"What _is_ her gift, anyway?"

"The illusion of indescribable agony. It's quite an offensive weapon, but sadly, like most gifts - even though she has complete control of it, she tends to use it whether the situation truly calls for it, or not. Think of gifts as an extension of self. If she gets annoyed, instead of say - punching the object of her annoyance on the arm - she zaps them with her gift. Quite detrimental to establishing comfortable friendships."

"I imagine so..." I murmured, I could hardly imagine anyone being willing to joke around with someone that could drop them to the floor with unmitigated suffering in a split second. Aro seemed to understand that nothing else could really be said on the subject.

"So - are your rooms adequate? Anything you need?" He glanced around the room like something obvious might be missing.

I laughed, I couldn't help it. Seriously this room was _beyond_ amazing.

"Everything's _great_. Thanks." I tried to stress my sincere appreciation, but he seemed not to notice.

He moved to sit on the couch closest to me, murmuring - "Good, good."

"Isabella -" I couldn't help but correct him, it was an automatic response even though I immediately regretted cutting him off.

"Just Bella, please."

There was an awkward pause, as though he was disconcerted by my gall in interrupting him.

He continued, "Isabella -" I smiled widely. For some reason his insistence on using my full name was adorable. I was obviously losing it.

He seemed put off, yet again - at my smile. He looked down at his hands, clasping them tightly together before starting once more. "Isabella, I'm sure you're concerned about my plans for you. I want to assure you no one here means you any harm." He looked at me seriously now.

So I gave him a serious answer, "Aro, I assume if you simply wanted to kill me - I would have been taken somewhere that the blood splatter wouldn't stain anything important."

He obviously didn't expect that. It sounded funnier than I'd expected, too. Funny too - that that really was my serious answer. Knowing just how many humans they had to kill between the dozens of vampires residing here I assumed they had a feeding room of some sort - they could have removed me from the throne room, taken me there to wait while they rushed Alice and Edward off - and killed me moments later. They certainly didn't have to provide me dinner, or a lavish prison to relax in.

He grinned, but looked at me more appraisingly now. It meant what I said was absolutely true.

"Then, I'm sure by now you know that I kept you here so you could be a member of my guard."

I nodded, immediately having guessed that. Though the thought of _possibly_ being someone's dinner had still lingered as a possibility.

"Are you amendable?" He continued giving the appraising look. Like I had a choice... I wondered briefly if the choice was that or death. I decided not to find out.

"Yes. After the Cullen's left - a vampire named Victoria started stalking me. Her mate was killed for tracking and almost killing me last year. She believes me to be Edward's mate and wants to kill me - 'a mate for a mate', I believe was said. The Cullen's would have quickly abandoned me again after I decided not to be with Edward. I need the protection being on your guard will grant me." I decided to leave out that I also expected even if things had gone the other way – death at their hands would also have been preferable – a quicker, more merciful end.

He looked a bit confused. I expected that, but not what came out of his mouth, next.

"I heard about the James fiasco from Edward. But he did not have any knowledge of her continued interest in you. According to Edward, he did not believe Victoria to be James's mate. He assumed she'd moved on after his death."

I sighed, Edward was such an asshole. Always assuming he knew everything because of his ability.

"I was nearly attacked by a nomad, another of their coven, named Laurent a few months ago - he told me Victoria plans a particularly vicious revenge against me. James was definitely her mate."

"Nearly?" He inquired, his eyes alight with interest.

Shit. I didn't want to say anything about Jacob. I tried not to pause too long and make it look suspicious.

"Yes - nearly. He was interrupted before he was able to kill me. I got away, but Victoria made several other attempts..."

He was really intrigued now. FUCK. I wonder if telling him about the pack was really such a bad thing. What harm could it really cause? I had to give him something. I'd already said too much...

I sighed deeply again - mentally preparing myself to betray my best friend.

"All right, look - so there are these werewolves... "I started hesitantly.

"The Quileute Tribe? I heard about them in Edward's thoughts. They are shape shifters, darling. Not werewolves."

I looked at him curiously; did he just call me darling? I got warm all over. I cleared my throat noisily, before continuing.

"Right well, the _shape shifters_ intervened with Laurent, and caught the scent of Victoria numerous times. She's been killing the locals, and terrorizing me and the Pack for the last few months. Without their protection, I would already be dead. And they seemed unable to catch her. It wasn't going to be long before she was able to get around them. And without the Cullen's to help me..." I let my voice trail off there. He knew what I meant. The Cullen's didn't want anything to do with me.

"Aahh..." Aro seemed to be contemplating the situation longer than I thought strictly necessary. It seemed fairly cut and dry to me. Wait. Does he not want to protect me, either? Shit. Damage control, Bella.

"I wouldn't allow her to cause problems for you, Aro. As soon as I am turned, I will seek her out and settle the situation, myself." I hoped I sounded brave. I didn't really feel it. Victoria had terrified me from Day One. I hoped to develop a gift of Invincibility. Yeah - that was currently my plan. Develop invincibility. If I will it hard enough during the change, it could happen - right? I really hoped so, because Aro was currently giving me a look of pity. Obviously sensing my desperation.

"Don't fret about it, my dear. _We'll_ assess the situation, and deal with it accordingly. You will not have to take care of it alone." His eyes were soft and sympathetic, and I could practically feel the waves of sincerity rolling off him.

I sighed, this time with relief. I hadn't realized how much stress I'd been harboring over Victoria's relentless pursuit of me. I figured it would take some time for her to realize I'd left the area – giving me plenty of time to plan.

He spoke again, this time looking down at his hands, "I'd like to change you right away, unless you have good reason to delay. While the guards have no intention of harming you - the reality is we have a few fairly young guardsmen who are less practiced at controlling their thirst around humans. I'd hate for you to be a victim to an unfortunate accident."

He looked up and caught my eyes, and I wondered if I could really deny him anything. Looking away, I tried to gather my thoughts. _Was_ there any good reason to put it off? _Charlie._ Damn. How could I have forgotten my father in all this?

Not wanting my resolve to waver, I spoke without looking at him, "My father is Chief of Police in Forks – and he knows I'm in Italy. I can't just disappear without dying a _believable_ death. He'll never stop looking." My heart ached thinking of Charlie searching for me. Of never seeing him again. A tear welled up and slid down my face before I could catch it. I tried to wipe it away without seeming obvious. But then I sniffled and ruined it. I glanced at Aro to see if he'd noticed.

The sympathy on his face was the deepest I'd ever seen from anyone, _ever._

"I know it is difficult to imagine now, my dear. But you'll be doing him a favor giving him peace. You could pretend to go off to school, or travel – but then you'd have to make excuses never to see him, to never speak to him on the phone – to keep the barest contact possible. Would you rather him think you wanted nothing to do with him? Surely that would be infinitely worse than allowing him to grieve your passage from his life all at once." His eyes held mine, and I couldn't see a hint of deception in them.

He was right, of course. It was immeasurably crueler to string him along, thinking I'd rather not include him in my life, than to simply exit it all together. Another tear slid down my cheek and this time I didn't bother to hide it. I just nodded, resigned.

He continued, "I'll take care of the arrangements, personally. He'll have no doubt you passed in the most painless way possible." There was a pause, and I imagined what the "most painless way" was. Plane crash? Probably not. _That_ would be terrifying. I blanked my thoughts on purpose, deciding to trust Aro to know what to do.

He gave me another look rife with sadness, and rose from his seat. "Well, I think a last night of rest, and a last meal are in order." He glanced wryly at the practically untouched dinner. "Though, perhaps not Tortellini. I'll have Giana stock more American options for you in the morning."

I opened my mouth to protest, the food's appeal had no effect on my lack of appetite – but Aro held his hand up to stop me from speaking.

"No arguments. We'll speak again after your breakfast tomorrow. Sleep well, dear one. Tomorrow will be a long day." His smile this time was full of affection and a little sarcastic. How did he manage that?

I shook my head, and managed a "Good night, Aro" before he left the room – just as quickly as he'd entered it.

As soon as I heard the click of the door, it seemed all my energy drained from me at once, and I slumped in my seat. Gathering the very last of my reserves, I forced myself to my feet and headed for the bedroom.

I quickly shed my jeans and top, and without bothering to look for any pajamas, I crawled into the spacious bed.

Tomorrow really would be a long day…

A/N: Well, that's the last chapter for today. I'll try to get another one posted tomorrow, but I can't promise it'll be done. This was the last of the pre-written material I had. Please review, and thanks again for reading! A


	4. New Developments

A/N: This chapter is rated M for sexual content. Please don't judge it too harshly, it's my first time writing sexual content. :-( It's pretty short, but it seemed like the most logical stopping point.

Chapter 4

I slept deeply without dreaming all night. It was the most pleasant night's rest I'd gotten in longer than I cared to remember. I just laid in bed, feeling no urge to get up.

The shades on my windows hadn't been drawn, and I could see a clear blue cloudless sky from this angle. Everything was quiet, and I could almost imagine I was all alone. My brain seemed to kick start into action abruptly with that thought.

Where was Jane? A deep sigh escaped me. Wouldn't I have the entirety of my immortal life to be on the go? I wanted to savor my last morning waking from a peaceful sleep.

But my brain wouldn't relax back into its peaceful state. It was time to get up.

My joints and bones seemed to creak embarrassingly loud when I rose. I stretched and for the first time noticed my bedroom door had been closed sometime during the night… and I didn't wear any clothes to bed.

My cheeks heated. Blushing was something I wasn't going to miss.

I headed toward the shower - after turning the water on to heat; I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bright, the shadows under them completely faded. It seemed ironic on the day of my death; I looked more alive than ever before.

It seemed a negative thing to anticipate – but I was _excited_ for my change. I'd never spent any time worrying about all the negatives of being a vampire. The invincibility, the timelessness, the increased brain power, the _beauty_ – all seemed worth the relatively small cost of hiding in the shadows for eternity. I chose not to focus on the thirst. I knew my feelings on it would change when I was finally a vampire, so I chose not to spend any time contemplating it as a human. So, I would deal with it, when the time came.

Resolute in my decision and still slightly giddy with anticipation - I climbed into the heavenly shower. Glancing at a previously unnoticed rack, several bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash all set on ledge within easy reach.

I grabbed the shampoo and let the water run over my head. The water pressure was perfect – and I let out a low hum in pleasure. The shampoo was a lovely citrus scent, and I became even more relaxed as I let the smell surround me while I massaged my hair. I rinsed and repeated my actions with the conditioner. I got to the body wash and realized I didn't have a wash cloth or sponge. I poured some in my hands and began to rub it all over my chest. The feeling was deliciously erotic. I let my thoughts wander, and as I worked my way down – the water became a little colder, and images of Aro began to pour in.

The water beat down against my nipples and my stomach tightened. I ran my hand over my crotch, and my fingers slipped inside and grazed my clit. A gasp left me. I'd never masturbated before in my life, never really feeling the inclination to try – but with my soapy fingers already down there, I couldn't stop myself from running my fingers over my clit again, before dipping them down to my entrance. At this point, the sounds that were coming out of my mouth would've shocked me if I'd been paying enough attention. The images of Aro touching me wouldn't quit running through my mind, and I leaned against the tiled wall to keep my legs from giving out. My eyes had shut long ago – and I felt like I was in my own little erotic bubble. I quickly ran out of body wash, though – _something always ruins the moment. _And when I opened my eyes to grab the bottle I could see a figure standing at the bathroom door.

This time my gasp was completely shocked and horrified. The steam from the shower kept me from seeing the intruders face, but the outline was definitely masculine. I turned to flip the water off, and when I turned back – whoever it was disappeared. _At fucking vampire speed._

My heart rate soared to an all time high, and I gave up on what _had_ been the best shower of my life. Grabbing a towel, I stepped out of the stall, and walked straight to the door – throwing it open and looking at my bedroom door with trepidation.

Whoever it was _could_ still be in my suite, but if I walked out there in only a towel – it might be misconstrued as an invitation…

With a growl of frustration I turned toward the closet instead. My sex throbbed wetly in dissatisfaction, but I definitely was not continuing – _now._

Shaking my head, I pulled the door open and couldn't help but gawk in amazement at the assortment of clothes inside. Fancy dresses, ball room gowns, men's suits, winter jackets, blazers, sundresses, it was overwhelming and completely disorganized. With a deep breath for courage, I walked inside.

Thankfully, an easily noticed dresser on the back wall housed undergarments, but unsurprisingly none of the bras were my size. My day just seemed to get better and better.

Quickly deciding I could get away with going braless in a sundress – I headed in that direction. The only one in my size was a dark red - almost garnet colored with spaghetti straps, a fitted waist, and a flared skirt. Fortunately, I found some black sandals to go with it. Pulling it all on, I walked back into the bathroom. Grabbing a comb I glanced back at my reflection

_Now – _my eyes were bright, my face was flushed and I had a rather wide eyed expression. I scowled to dispel the image, brushed my teeth vigorously without looking at it again and made my way to the bedroom door nervously.

_Please _let no one be out there... I chanted as I turned the knob.

Aro sat on the sofa facing me. Thoughts of him watching me in the shower caused my thighs to clinch, and my sex to throb hotly. My nipples pebbled and my eyes got wide.

He took a breath - I assume to greet me - but his smile froze on his face, and his eyes went black. His fists clenched and a growl left his lips. His form was a blur as it raced over to me and I had only a single second to realize he'd grabbed me and pushed my body into the wall before his lips were on mine.

It happened so fast, I didn't react to him at all. I was totally frozen in shock, and outwardly unresponsive. His lips were cold, but the tingle that shot through my body at the contact was fiery. Just as I reached my arms up to embrace him, he was gone. He sped to the other side of the room and looked at me with the blackest eyes I've ever seen - there was no white visible at all.

Another shudder ripped through my frame, and I collapsed against the wall - breathing heavily.

I waited for him to speak - please say something, I internally pleaded. I was so confused. As attracted to him as I'd been from the start, he'd never given me any indication he felt the same...

My heart thundered in my chest - my breathing was harsh in the silence. And it took me a few moments to realize Aro wasn't breathing at all. His gaze was on the floor, and a look of disconcertion painted his face.

The silence stretched out and became awkward. My face colored and I looked away. Couldn't vampires smell arousal? Maybe he was just overwhelmed by an instinctive response... maybe he didn't really want me that way... I couldn't really expect _Aro_ to want to be with me, could I? The Vampire King wanting a human? Surely that was laughable.

More the silence dragged on, the more I vehement my internal protests became. I looked down at my feet, suddenly sure this was entirely my fault and feeling more mortification than I'd ever felt throughout my whole life. My face heated and my arms crossed over my chest defensively.

The sound of the door clicking shut brought my out of my internal debate - Aro was gone.

I walked over to the couch in a daze. Glancing at the clock, I held in a groan.

_What a day. All this before 10 AM._

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think... I have most of the next chapter written, so it should be up tonight or tomorrow morning. A


	5. In the kitchen with a confidant

A/N: It only just occurred to me that I never posted a disclaimer for this story. I'm not 100% sure why that's even necessary, when I'm posting on a _fan fiction_ site, but here goes...

I do not own Twilight, I do however own this somewhat original work that I will never _ever_ be able to sell for profit. Fucking A.

Chapter 5

A knock on the door sounded out and I cringed instinctively, not wanting anyone to know of my shame. I knew whoever they were they could probably hear my heartbeat from the hall, and resistance was truly futile, but I still hesitated to respond.

Ugh! Growing disgusted with myself, I walked resolutely to the door, and swung it open hard. Not bothering to clear my face of the irritated scowl I could feel it pulled into.

Jane's expression was mildly shocked, but she made no comment – just calmly walked around me into the sitting room.

I huffed a little, feeling childish – and slammed the door shut. I threw myself onto the closest couch and shut my eyes.

For a few blessed moments, there was silence. _Please_ don't ask what's wrong, please don't ask, please don't ask.

"So, what's bothering you this morning?" I almost screamed in frustration.

"I'm fine" – I somehow managed to grit out.

"_Really?" _Jane drawled out. I sent her a dirty look, daring her to ask about it again and she seemed to get the message.

"Fine." She huffed out, "If you don't want to talk about, we might as well get breakfast out of the way." She flounced to the door, holding it open and mockingly gesturing me to precede her.

"Great." I gave her a sarcastic smile as I passed and waited dutifully out in the hall for her to show me the way.

Walking the hallways was just as awe inspiring as yesterday, I just wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. Keeping my eyes focused on the carpeting in front of my feet, I managed to walk quickly and efficiently for 10 minutes without tripping once.

_A new record, _I thought fleetingly.

Finally arriving at what appeared to be the most old world kitchen on the face of the planet, I looked to Jane imploringly.

"_Please_ tell me you know how to cook in this ancient place?" I begged. Looking around I was surprised to note the stove took actual wood, all the pots hanging near it were cast iron, the sink had an actual _pump_ instead of a faucet, plus there was no food visible anywhere, and the refrigerator was missing. _Jesus._

She laughed, _laughed_ – as though I was somehow the deficient one here. _Ancient ass vampires._

She flitted over to the stove, expertly popping open the hatch and checking the pre-filled contents with a discerning eye. She must have found them satisfactory, because in the blink of eye she had the kindling lit, and the stove preheating. She opened a large cabinet to the left of the stove that looked like a pantry – revealing a large silver refrigerator.

_Thank God!_ I walked over and peered in trying to identify the contents. Everything had foreign labels, and there were a TON of leftovers in plastic cases. I nudged her out of the way, and began opening them. Half were covered in thick white and blue mold and my appetite was almost completely lost from the smell, but I persevered and finally found a large slab of ham and a block of cheddar cheese. A carton of eggs suddenly appeared in Jane's hands practically materializing from the cavernous interior. Closing the door, and the cabinet hiding it from sight – I laid all the ingredients for breakfast on a bare wooden island across from the stove and asked if there was any bread.

Yet another hidden compartment was opened in the island itself, and a drawer revealed 2 _shockingly_ molded loaves of French bread, and 1 fresh. Shaking my head at the idea that they even purchased human food, let alone let it go to waste like that I started searching for utensils – I turned around glancing at the bare walls, and even barer countertops… by the time I'd turned back around. Jane had cracked the eggs into a bowl and scrambled them, cut up the ham, and the bread, and was now grating the cheese into another bowl. I think my eyes were the size of saucers.

She glanced over and took in my expression before bursting into _peals_ of laughter.

_What the fuck? _"What the fuck, Jane? I was just looking for a knife, I was _going_ to help." My petulant expression set her off again, and I finished grating the cheese while she clenched her sides and shook with mirth.

I looked over at the stove, dubiously. "So… how exactly does this work? Is it even hot enough, yet?" The entire contraption was alien as hell. There were pieces covering the burners, and I wasn't sure if you cooked _over_ them or took them off…

I reached out to touch one, and my hand was snatched back.

"Don't touch that, Bella. It's extremely hot." Grabbing a previously unseen potholder – was _everything_ hidden in this kitchen? – she grabbed the burner cover and lifted it up, glancing down at the fire directly under it. It must have been done, because she set the cover down on another part of the stove, grabbed a skillet and set it over the fiery hole. She put the ham in first, probably for the grease it would coat the pan with – and it sizzled so violently I thought it was going to jump back out of the pan on its own.

_Fuck_. How did people ever stand to cook this way? My ham was cooked in 15 seconds, and immediately began to burn since the temperature couldn't be altered at all. Jane flipped it over for another few seconds, before tossing it lightly onto a plate, and adding the eggs.

These I knew would burn in moments, and I was too enthralled watching to register the person now lingering behind me in the kitchen doorway.

"Uh hum." I laughed – I couldn't help it – seems vampires can't cough; they have to make the sound of a cough to simulate its effect. Still a polite way to get someone's attention, but surely in all the years they'd been vampires, they could have come up with something better than simulating a human habit.

I glanced over my shoulder, and all the mirth left my face. _Aro._ My cheeks involuntarily burned, and I stared at the floor like it held the secrets of life. Jane was still cooking happily and I nudged her with my foot.

"Master." Jane nodded her head deferentially, and waited – I assume for Aro to speak first. I still couldn't look at him. Mortification was slowly eating me alive.

"Isabella, Jane" he greeted, "as soon as you are finished with the meal, please join me in my study."

I nodded my head, without looking at him – and Jane did the same. I didn't see him leave, but I _felt_ it. Like the heaviness was gone from the air. I let out a breath of relief and glanced back at Jane to see her now toasting the bread in the same skillet.

"So…" I drawled with forced casualness, "How do you put the fire out when you're finished?"

She seemed to understand I didn't want to talk about my awkwardness with Aro. "You don't. You bank the flames, by spreading the kindling out and let it die down by itself."

"Ah," I answered while nodding with mock intrigue, like I planned to purchase the same stove at a later date and would need this information. I threw in an eyebrow twitch, trying hard to sell my interest.

"So, how old _is _that stove, anyway?" Still trying to defect…

"About 300. Aro updated the kitchen around the turn of the 18th century." I had to bite my cheek not to laugh at this, seeing as this was probably an improvement from how it had been before.

I nodded gravely, instead. "Well… it looks great."

Jane finally couldn't contain herself at this – laughing loudly. "Oh, yeah – I'm sure they'll feature it in Architectural Digest next month."

I bit back my smile, replying "I'm sure even if they don't; you were still a runner up."

She laughed again, and placed all my food, utensils and napkin at the end of the island and raced at vampire speed to parts unknown, appearing a bare moment later with a tall stool. She waved her hand at me, and I sat.

"Would you like coffee?" she offered.

"_Please._" I begged. If this was my last day as a human, I was going to store up as much caffeine as humanly possible.

She nodded once, and flitted around the kitchen gathering an old percolator and a bag of coffee and filling the urn with water. She set it on the stove and came back over to where I was nibbling my bread.

"So…" she started, a feeling of dread washed over me and I just _knew_ she was going to ask about Aro.

"What's going on with you and the Master?" she was a lot blunter than I expected. Didn't matter I was still going to defect.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" my answer was weak, but in my defense – I had no idea how to respond.

"Please. No need to insult my intelligence. Your face was as red as blood, and Aro didn't look away from you for a single second. He looked disappointed and pained when he turned to leave."

"Really?" I blurted out. So much for pretending disinterest.

"Caught you." She pointed at me, and gave me a superior look – "now spill. The kitchens are so far from the rest of the castle, no one is going to hear."

I groaned. I really wasn't sure I should be telling anyone in the castle about this morning's humiliation. But, I suppose – if I _had_ to choose someone completely removed from the situation – it was Jane. Then I remembered a crucial fact…

"No way! He's going to read your mind about this later, isn't he?" I stared at her seriously. She better not try to lie.

"Probably." She answered easily, as though it didn't bother her in the least to have no privacy whatsoever. "But, it's not like _he_ doesn't already know what's going on."

She had a solid point. _Fine. _What the hell could it hurt anyway? I told her _everything._

Afterwards, during her shocked silence, I asked "So, did you come back to my room and shut my bedroom door last night, or was that him too?"

"Him. He forbid anyone from going to your rooms until we were sure you were already awake." She answered absently, still lost in thought.

I digested that, and felt my face get red for the _billionth_ time that day. Ugh!

It was silent for a few moments; I assumed Jane needed time to think through what I'd told her. Or I'd shocked her to the point she lost her sensibilities… probably the former.

Just as I was about to ask what she thought I should do… she spoke, "Well. My romantic past is even more fucked than yours, so you might not want to take my advice… but I'll still give it." I was wondering seriously how a relationship could be _more_ fucked than mine and Aro's… when she spoke again.

"You have _got_ to display more confidence. He _obviously_ likes you, and your pathetically infatuated with him," I couldn't even pretend to be offended, she was totally right. Pathetic.

"_More_ confidence? That's your advice? The man instigated a kiss and then somehow rebuffed _me. _I have _no_ confidence, whatsoever. _Fucked_ isn't even close to the right word for this. It's fucked up beyond all repair. Even if I did like him, a tiny part of me is still a little pissed at him for being such a creepy lecher about it. Watching me sleep _naked_, spying on me in the shower, kissing me and then just walking away without a word. What an asshole. I can't even believe I'm still attracted to him after all that. Honestly, would you be?" I was rambling, and possibly shouting. I knew I was, but the more I thought about it – the more pissed off I was. _How dare he?_

Oh, right – he's the vampire king, and I'm a lowly _potential_ guardsman. Well, I'm still a _person_ with feelings, damn it.

"I think it's difficult to ascertain the level of a person's interest in such a short time. How was your talk the night before? Did you get any vibes from him then?"

_Vibes._ It was hard to imagine her in the 1600's. I laughed a little, before sobering to realize I didn't get _any_ vibes from him the first night. He seemed a little familiar, but more like a family friend than a potential lover. The darling thing only happened one time, and really he is _ancient. _What if he calls everyone darling? Fucking A. I was totally at square one in the figuring out Aro puzzle.

"None," I finally answered, "he told me he wanted me in the guard. That I'd be turned today, that he would arrange my fake death, and that we'd discuss the plan to eliminate my vampire stalker later."

"Hmmm…." Jane showed no reaction. She must have already been aware of all that. Curious. I wonder how close she and Aro are…

Just then I glanced at the clock. _Shit._ We'd been talking for over an hour. Aro was expecting us.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review! Next chapter won't be posted until tomorrow.


	6. Bonding over Shakespeare

A/N: There are a few references to Hamlet Act 3, Scene 1 in this chapter. I try to explain it without making anyone do any additional reading, but if you'd like a better understanding... It's Hamlet's contemplation of suicide, the "To be or not to be..." speech.

Chapter 6

I felt like I was walking to my execution. Oh wait, I _was._

I wonder how many people would volunteer for the change. If they knew what I did... would the average person make the same choice I was? In this day and age, I think they would. People weren't uber religious anymore – I scoffed thinking of Edward's soul argument. How the hell did he know he was soulless? There really isn't any compelling evidence of souls, in the first damn place. A romantic notion, sure – but practically it was hard to envision the idea of souls. Of God, of an afterlife. No – I was making the right choice. What if I died and just rotted away in a pine box for eternity? It was a 50/50 chance it might happen.

At least with this decision, I knew I would live on. Right here on the Earth. Yeah. Who said we all wanted to languish in heaven anyway? It might be awesome, of course. Or it might suck. And, _was_ there an exit strategy in that case? The bible didn't make it sound like it.

The known is the only safe choice. And if I did have a soul – well, I could only hope it stayed with my immortal body.

My deep thoughts immediately cut off – we were in front of Aro's door. Moment of truth. How many people could say they walked right into the arms of their killer? Even knowing death awaited me, I couldn't seem to muster up any fear.

Fear of having another awkward moment with Aro? Check. Fear of making _another_ graceless social blunder in full view of the object of my affection? Check. Fear of the unmitigated agony I would have to suffer? Check. Fear of true death? Check.

Fear of walking into the arms of the person delivering that death? Nothing. Not even a tingle.

I squared my shoulders and gave Jane a nod. She raised her hand and knocked.

There was probably a response – but my weak human ears didn't hear anything. Not even a whisper, but suddenly I was being shuffled into the largest, most intimidating office I'd ever seen. I think this made the Oval Office look like a pussy hang out.

A map of the world, with various pins adorned an entire wall. Two others were covered by floor to ceiling bookshelves, literally packed to the absolute maximum holding capacity, and the other entire wall was windows. A large fireplace took up space directly below the world map, and two deep leather recliners made a seating area. A no doubt priceless chess set sat on an antique table between the recliners with a half finished game spread across it's surface. And behind the largest desk ever created sat Aro.

And he was staring at me.

I wanted to make some super smooth comment, like "oh, you play chess, too?" Maybe my definition of smooth needed some work...

But what really came out, embarrassingly enough was, "Do you really need a desk that big?"

Kind of like when you comment on a red neck's truck. Do you really need tires that size? Are you actually going to need them wherever your going? Is that _really_ necessary?

If it wouldn't have been even more awkward, I would have smacked myself in the face for that one.

Brazen it out, Bella. It could have been worse... something like, "Have you _really_ read all these books?"

As it was, Aro was stuttering... and I was trying to pretend not to notice by walking closer to the bookshelves and reading the titles.

Subject change time... three, two, one – _finally..._ I recognized a title. "Is that a first edition of The Republic?_" _I let out what I hoped was a believable chuckle, "What am I thinking? Of course not – didn't they write on papyrus in 300 BC?"

Nice save. Ooh... I think it made me look smart, too. Unless I was totally wrong. I wasn't wholly confident, but I was _trying._ Jane said to be more confident. Her only fucking advice after hearing the whole sad tale. So, that was my motto. Brazen Bella is born.

I looked over at him, and blushed. _Fucking moment is ruined every damn time._ So much for brazen.

He still hadn't answered. I was starting to feel really weird. Should I ramble on some more? Jesus Christ, _I_ was the shy one. What the hell is wrong with _him?_

I turned back to the books. It _really_ wasn't going to help anything if I rambled about Plato some more. I could feel a tinge of hysterical laughter coming on. HOW did this even happen? Standing in the vampire king's office contemplating a mildly hysterical ramble about an ancient Greek philosopher... how far the mighty have fallen.

Aro must have finally gotten himself together, because the next thing I knew he was pulling his copy of The Republic off the shelf and opening it to the publication page and showing me the date.

"Not a first edition, unfortunately. You're correct, of course. The very first copies would have been papyrus scrolls, hand copied by monks. I had my eye on one in the 1st century, but those monks were greedy bastards. Wanted 3 horses in exchange. As much as I revere the written word... that was exorbitant." Aro seemed to be rambling, too.

What the hell is the proper response to that?

"Yeah, what a rip off." Well, I guess that's one of them. I looked down at the book in his hands, the publication date was 613 AD. I almost sputtered. Did they mass produce books in the 5th century? Ah, hell no. This was worth a whole helluva lot more than 3 measly horses. _Imagine_ what the original scroll would've gone for...

"In later years, the monks became more reasonable. I got this book here, for a single sheep."

I couldn't _believe_ I was having this conversation.

"Nice." Way to keep the conversational ball rolling, Bella. _Fuck_.

He mercifully moved on to a dusty leather book located a few spaces from the discount Plato.

"This is another rare gem – a bound manuscript of the original Romeo and Juliet play. Handwritten by Shakespeare himself. He was quite broke, and sold this for a few bottles of wine."

I could definitely see a pattern developing here. Who knew? Cheapskate Aro...

"I _love_ Shakespeare. My favorite quote of all time is from Hamlet" I cleared my throat dramatically, "'For in that sleep of death – what dreams may come.' So ironic."

Aro's eyebrow wrinkled. "What's ironic?"

"Not to be rude, but aren't you technically dead?" I let him ruminate on that for a second. No doubt he was reciting the entire third act in his head.

I was right, of course. Because 3 seconds later, he smiled _very_ widely. "It is _indeed _ironic, Isabella. Well done."

Referring to my choice of vampirism, rather than the risk of heaven. Despite dying either way – I chose the known path.

It was incredible how that summed up my entire theological argument on the way to his office.

We smiled at each other – without any awkwardness. It was the first time we'd ever accomplished it.

Jane cleared her throat from across the room. _I can't ever get a fucking break._

"Not to interrupt, but can I be excused? Alec is leaving this afternoon, and I promised to see him off."

"Of course, dear. Wish Alec good luck from me." Aro smiled gently, and Jane took off. I didn't even see the door open, but it clicked shut with a final doom like click and I realized I was alone with Aro.

I turned back to the bookshelves with a hint of desperation. _Please _don't make this weird, Bella. Just keep talking. Keep talking. Say something!

"Does Jane normally accompany him? I'd hate for her to miss out, to stay behind with me." How selfless. Was I really sending away the only person other than Aro I knew in the Volturi? Why do I screw myself over every time I open my mouth?

"Jane does what she wants to, if she wished to accompany him she would. I give orders, yes – but I allow the guard, especially those who have been here a long while, a great deal of freedom. If Jane is here with you – be assured it is because she wishes to be."

I nodded, already surmising as much. Aro seemed a very benevolent leader. I wondered about the other two... surely one of them must be much crueler, to balance things out.

Shaking the thought of it off, I sank down into one of the recliners. Barely holding in a groan of bliss. This was the _most_ comfortable chair, _ever._

Aro seated himself across from me, and his expression was serious. Damn. I'd hoped for more awkward chit chat. _Not._

"Isabella, I've made all the preparations I can for your change. I don't plan to burden you with particulars, but be assured all is set. Are you truly ready?"

I met his gaze, looking deep into his crimson eyes. I didn't for a moment want him to doubt my sincerity.

"Yes."

He grabbed my hand, I felt a small shock – kind of like static electricity – ignoring it, I squeezed his fingers, trying to reassure him.

"Let's retire to your chamber, then."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really enjoy hearing back from you guys. Please review! A


	7. A changing world

A/N: Not sure if I need to keep forewarning you guys, on a M rated story... but this chapter contains sexual content.

Chapter 7

The walk to my room was quiet. Aro kept his grip on my hand light, but he led me the whole way there. He was somber, but not in an "I don't think you'll survive this" sort of way. More like a "this is an important moment, and I don't want to ruin it with inane chit chat" sort of way.

I found myself focusing on the feel of his hand in mine. Could I caress his fingers with out it being weird? The urge was almost overwhelming, but I somehow held myself back.

I must have zoned out, because it seemed we were at my room in seconds. He opened the door, but didn't let go of my hand, or pause in the sitting room.

We walked straight to my bed, where he urged me to sit down. I looked up at him wondering what the protocol for this type of situation was. I'd probably found myself out of my depth a hundred times in the last couple days, but _this_ moment seemed too important for snappy comebacks and sarcastic quips. Which was really my entire arsenal of conversation.

He looked me dead in the eye and said carefully, "Isabella, I don't want you to fear at any time that this is the end. Or that anything you experience in the next few days is anything but temporary. The pain _will_ end, you _will_ wake and everything will turn out just as it should. I want you to focus on what you hear. You will be paralyzed from the pain and you will not be able to open your eyes but your mind will be functional. Focus on the sound of my voice. Hear all that's going on around you. You will be less disoriented when you wake, if you do."

I nodded, the gravy of the situation finally sinking in. This was my last moment as a human. I felt the irrational urge to cry. Two deep breaths later, the feeling passed. And I opened my mouth to speak. I swear in my next life I'm going to work on impulse control.

"Can I have some M&Ms first?" The thought hadn't even crystallized in my mind before it came out. But I didn't feel _too _badly about it. I loved chocolate.

Aro let out a strangled laugh, and blinked out and back with a bag of M&Ms from the refrigerator.

Well, I didn't consider how awkward it would be to sit here and eat them with him watching...

But soon enough the deliciousness overtook me, and I savored my last taste of chocolate _for the rest of my life._ Which may or may not be the next five minutes.

I moaned. Seriously, I make a _lot_ of sex noises. Why am I just noticing this now?

Oh that's right – because Aro's eyes are darkening. And suddenly, I'm holding in a moan for a different reason.

I think it's instinctual to lick your lips during these sorts of moments.

And now Aro's looking at my lips with completely black eyes. _Score._

Now the crux of my problem, how do I make interest into actions? Urge him on, dumb ass – before the moment is somehow ruined. _God_ I love these conversations with myself.

I leaned forward a little, and looked at his mouth. _Yeah –_ brazen Bella can make this happen. I looked back up into his eyes, and saw my own desire reflected there. My hand reached out, and my finger tips skimmed his face, and suddenly it seemed so natural to close the distance between us and skim my lips over his.

At the first cold contact, I knew I could be addicted to this, easily. Sparks seemed to fly between us and the hand that was innocently skimming his cheekbone moments ago was twining into his hair, the lips that were so tentative before were using more pressure now.

Suddenly, Aro broke. A shuddering gasp left him and I found myself completely in his embrace. My legs were spread out on either side of his hips, and we were glued together from shoulder to thigh. One of his hands grasped my face, and his lips moved frantically over mine.

I felt the icy wetness of his tongue brush over my bottom lip and unthinkingly opened my mouth and sucked on it. An explosion of flavor rocked my taste buds. He was winter, and pine trees, and _hot chocolate?_ My mind rejected that one. It must be the M&Ms.

I couldn't get close enough, I found myself straining forward – I needed more of that taste, more of his coldness, more of _him._ My nipples rasped against the material of my dress, pressing into his chest. And my hands, _ugh _I just didn't know what to touch first. His silky black hair, his rock hard chest, his strong muscled thighs.

Mmm... thighs. What I wouldn't do for a glimpse of his icy cock.

Just as the thought went through my mind, I moaned and pushed against him harder – and he _retreated._

Fucking A. I _suppose_ it did last longer than I could have hoped for. My disappointed groan was still loud, though.

And suddenly, he was back. _Round 2._

He buried his face in my hair, and sucked at my neck – while rubbing his incredible bulge against my wet center. My hands clutched his hair, and a big part of my wished he'd bite me then.

I wanted _this_ to be my last moment as a human.

Almost as if I willed it to happen, his teeth scraped against my neck and I whispered, "Please. Now."

I didn't feel his teeth sink into my neck; I suppose his teeth were too sharp to be anything less than razors. But I felt a stinging pain, and a deeply chilling pull.

He was drinking my blood, and I _did not_ like it.

No. No. No. Don't drink. Push the venom in already. Do it. Do it now.

He must have come to his senses in the few seconds it took me to panic, because suddenly my neck felt hot. And he wasn't drinking anymore, he was licking me. Licking the wound shut, I realized.

He pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Just relax, Isabella. It'll all be over soon."

He pushed me into a prone position on the bed, and stared at me hard. The pain became worse. It was like acid leaking down from the wound into the tissues of my throat. My hand reached to touch my neck, but he snatched it back and held it.

"Sssh. Just relax. Touching it will not help. I'm afraid, Isabella I didn't get enough venom into your neck – I will have to bite you again in your femoral artery to make the change faster."

I nodded absently – my mind didn't register the location of the femoral artery until I felt him lifting my skirt. _Is that really necessary?_

The burning in my neck was starting to require all my attention as I fought the urge to writhe in pain. I lost my focus on Aro – and suddenly, a new pain sprang up. This one sharper, and infinitely more troubling.

_Perhaps, he's on to something with that whole femoral artery bit._

A wave of pain crashed over me – and I lost myself to darkness.

I'm not sure when I woke up – the torture withdrew so incrementally, that it felt like one moment it was overwhelming and the next I could form thoughts again.

My first thought was the pain needed to be pushed back further. Suddenly, I felt like I detached from my physical body. I knew intellectually that I was still feeling the agony of the change, but my mind was disconnected from it.

I felt like I was in a bubble inside my own mind. Free to think around the pain.

I was suddenly reminded of Aro's words. _Listen._ But I couldn't hear anything, was something being said or was it quiet? _I wanted to hear!_

And, then my hearing was returned to me. Like I flipped a switch and turned it on.

Aro was speaking to me, "Isabella, I'm sure you can't hear me yet – but I want you to know everything is just fine. Your change is progressing normally, aside from your unnatural stillness. You are safe, and everything is okay." Was he reassuring me, or himself? What did he mean unnatural stillness?

Ah. I suppose if my mind is disconnected from my pain, I am no longer screaming and writhing around. That makes sense. But why does he sound so panicked?

I listened some more, his voice was very close to my ear... was he _holding _me? I want to feel him!

And, then I did. Like some strange synapse reconnecting all of a sudden I could _feel_ Aro holding me to his chest, running his fingers through my hair. Whispering that everything was okay, in my ear.

_Ooh..._ this is nice... Contentment filled me, and I drifted.

Time had no meaning for me in my bubble. It could have been minutes, hours or days before Aro began to ramble. I felt a _tiny_ bit bad, because of course he had no idea I could hear him... but it was entirely his fault for advising me to listen.

"Isabella, I am beginning to worry. It has been nearly 2 days and you have not moved an inch. You are not breathing heavily; you do not even appear to be effected by the pain. I can see the changes in your lovely body but what if something has gone wrong? From the look on your face you seem to be _enjoying_ this. What am I to think? What should I do? I cannot bring myself to bite you again..." he let out an anguished sounding moan, and I could feel his hands brushing my cheekbones. He gathered my body closer to his, but I still could not move.

_Wait. _Did he just call my body lovely? Sigh. Focus, Bella. The man is obviously not thinking clearly.

I was still monitoring the pain, even though I couldn't feel it in my bubble a part of me was completely aware of what my body was going through internally. My consciousness might be separated but if I concentrated hard enough, I could tell the change was still going strong – though it had abated? It was hard to tell, and I didn't want to open myself back up to it.

I wished more than anything I could reassure him in some way. I thought about my strange immunity to his power. It really must kill him to be so used to knowing _everything _and then get slammed from left field by freakazoid me. I was _eternally_ grateful, though. I didn't want his power to work. I wanted to speak. I wished so hard for him to be able to hear me, not through his gift, but my voice. I began to talk to him in my head as though he could.

"Aro – everything is fine, baby. Don't stress yourself. I'm just not focused on the pain. You've been a welcome distraction from the turmoil."

His body stiffened up, and I began to panic. It hadn't occurred to me to be worried about my body's safety during the change. How would I even know if something was wrong? Moments later I got my answer... _I_ was the panic inducing threat.

"Isabella? Can you _talk?_ Was that you? I didn't see your lips move, but I heard you as though you were speaking directly into my ear."

Sweet. Was that possible? I readied myself to try again.

"Aro? You can hear me?"

He laughed and hugged me _very_ tight. Ouch. Geez. I'm burning here. I spoke this time without conscious thought or effort.

"Too much enthusiasm, babe. My body is still going through the change, for fucks sake. I might not be focused on _that _pain, but I can still feel you."

His grip lessened immediately, though he made no move to let me go.

"Ah! I'm terribly sorry. Are you all right, Isabella?" He was beyond noticing I'd called him babe. _Thank God._.. where the hell had that come from anyway? Tone it down, Bella. You don't even know him like that.

"I'm okay. Though I'll be much better when this is all over. How long did you say it'd been? 2 days?" I could hardly comprehend that much time passing without my notice. But here in my bubble with Aro's reassurances in my ear, and his lovely hands on my body – it was easier to fathom.

"Roughly. It's actually been closer to two and a half days. 59 hours have passed since I bit you."

Whoa. And he just held me the whole time? Swoon.

Suddenly, a commotion could be heard to my left. I tried to focus my hearing in, but without my sight, or any experience doing so – I had no idea how far away the noise was.

"What's that?" Speaking to Aro seemed natural now. Once I'd decided to suspend disbelief – it seemed easy to just direct a thought at him.

Aro hissed. Vampires hiss? And not like a cat hisses. This was louder, deeper and infinitely more menacing.

"I don't know – but they definitely broke something." I wondered if he really cared for all his possessions, or just the cost of replacing them. Probably the latter... cheapskate Aro rears his head, again. I fought an internal giggle.

Finally, I could make out voices.

"It has been two days – I _cannot_ wait any longer. I must see Aro, RIGHT NOW. Whatever business he is conducting can surely be set aside for a few short moments, while I apprise him of my situation."

Hmm… it really shouldn't surprise me that in order for Aro to sit with me for days at a time, he would have to put someone or something else off. But I was warmed regardless.

Another crash was Aro's hard limit. Whoever they were; they were breaking Aro's stuff. And he was pissed off.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I must go see what my visitor needs. I'm sure it won't take long, I will return as quickly as I can." He gave my body a light squeeze, and _possibly _kissed my forehead – certain sensations were still difficult to discern; and left. The door clicked softly in his wake.

With my only source of entertainment missing – I decided to see if I could stretch my super senses, as Aro instructed. I strained to hear, and it seemed like all of a sudden I was bombarded with noises.

The whisper of someone's feet brushing the floor as they walked, three doors in the castle all closed softly, almost simultaneously. Someone was typing a few doors away;

I could hear each click of the keys. Straining harder, I heard a washing machine on the spin cycle, someone was speaking Italian rapidly into a telephone, a TV was turned on and an old Friends episode was playing. Outside my window, an owl hooted into the night, a car door slammed shut. Someone was raking some leaves; the scratching of the rake over the ground was suddenly an annoyance. The only person I wanted to hear was Aro – how is he completely gone? Didn't he go to speak with whoever came to visit him?

I tried to retrace my steps from my room to the throne room. I knew if I could here the washing machine – on the very bottom corner of the castle, I could probably hear all the way to the throne room.

_Soundproofing._ Why didn't I think of that before? I wasn't the only one with super senses. I was one of _many._ Surely vampires attempting to live communally needed privacy, too. I thought back to the number of voices I could discern. So far, I'd only heard the visitor, the telephone call, and Aro here in my room. Could _every_ room be soundproofed? Was I only hearing people in the hallways?

Maybe stone acts as a natural buffer. Isn't the entire castle made of stone? My thoughts were drawn back to the washing machine and the rake. If my hearing was that sensitive, the absolute silence from so many vampires must mean they are currently convened in a soundproofed room, or all the rooms are soundproofed.

Convened. The only option that makes sense. A meeting? Like mine. When Edward, Alice and I came to visit, all the guards were gathered in the throne room at once to greet us.

Hmmm… I hope Aro's all right. I scoffed at myself. As if there was a _more_ well protected vampire on the planet.

I briefly wondered _exactly _how much more time I had on my change. I was hesitant to allow the pain to overtake me, but I remembered those incremental shifts in the pain's intensity… perhaps if I allowed it to overtake my body one piece at a time, it wouldn't overwhelm my senses.

I cautiously _willed _myself to feel the pain in my right leg. Fire overtook me, and I laid there gasping with the onslaught. I gave myself a moment to get used to it, before making an assessment. Definitely less, and it seemed to be fading completely from my feet and ankles. I quickly willed it to stop, and huddled in my bubble for a few moments before trying again with an arm.

Same thing. The pain was less all over and almost completely gone from my fingers and wrists. I thought briefly about trying it with my torso, but decided against it. I figured I could estimate several more hours at least. It was only my outermost extremities that had finally cooled. The rest would surely take a while.

I went back to listening. Whoever had been raking leaves, moved on to… was that the sound of a spade? Tilling, then? I absently wished I had gardened more… and moved on.

Four sets of footsteps currently walking the castle hallways. None of them headed in this direction. In fact, they sounded quite far away. Ah, finally – some talking.

"We wish you safe travels, Zeke. You can expect me and a few members of the guard to join you within the week – probably by Thursday. Here…" the sound of paper crinkling, "take my phone number. You can call me if there are any changes in the plans." Said a deeply accented masculine voice.

"Thank you, Dmitri. I'll see you then." Replied a faintly Russian? voice. A few seconds passed, and two sets of foot steps went one way, and two sets went another.

Well… perhaps that concluded Aro's business. I hope he comes back soon. Listening sucks.

I decided to check on the pain, again. With nothing juicy going on in the castle – I had nothing better to do anyway.

I willed it back into my left leg this time. Huh. Surprisingly tolerable. Is it almost over? I checked my right arm. _Not bad. _

I figured if my limbs were nearly painless – the majority was probably centered in my chest. I feared bringing it back, but I had to _know_.

I got the other arm and leg back and focused on my torso. I willed it to come gradually, but the pain was so excruciating it flooded my senses all at once and I lost all control of it.

My back arched, my hands gripped my chest. And a wail, unlike I'd ever heard left my mouth. It had to have been the longest scream in history – lasting a full minute. Who knew I even had that much air in my body?

I was speechless, or should I say thoughtless – with the agony. My heart thundered in my chest, beating so hard it felt like it was trying to escape.

I tried to focus enough to push it away – like before – but I couldn't gather my thoughts. I started to count my heart beats instead.

1,2,3,4,5,6 – stutter – 7,8,9 – stutter – 10,11 – sputter. My heart was giving out. I gripped my chest harder and waited.

Silence. My ears were ringing. The silence felt very loud. The pain was gone.

I twitched my face, was the paralysis gone, too? It _was_…

My eyes shot open and I looked around with my vampiric sight. _Amazing._

A/N: Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone that reviewed, followed or favorited. I'm _overwhelmed._ But, I'm not going to stop begging for reviews. Pretty please! A


	8. Eating the Partridge Family

Chapter 8

_Jesus._ Everything was so fucking clear. I didn't have bad vision before, but this was supernaturally perfect. _Go figure._

I heard footsteps walking in my direction. Aro was right – it didn't freak me out because I'd already experimented with my new incredible hearing.

But the hearing wasn't _nearly_ as cool as this sight. Damn, I could see the tiniest details, now. A hairline crack in the wall across the room from me was as bright and clear as if neon paint coated it. I could count each individual carpet fiber in the rug. A bird chirped and I glanced at the window – the glass fogged my vision – if I looked directly at it, I could see streaks from the Windex someone used to clean it.

The footsteps were much closer now, and I automatically tuned into them. The main door to my suite opened, and someone walked through pausing at the door to my bedroom. I could smell their scent. It was like Christmas.

The door opened _very_ slowly – and Aro peeked his head into the room. He looked at me warily, like I was a rabid dog about to attack. But I couldn't do anything beyond stare at him. If I had thought him pretty before it was nothing compared to the _perfection_ I was looking at now. Every one of his features were sexier - times a thousand.

I smiled at him shyly and all of a sudden all I could think about was our kiss before he bit me. If I could have blushed, I would have been bright red.

He smiled back, in his usual overly wide way, and crept closer. He seemed to be edging around me like he was afraid of coming too close.

"Isabella. How are you feeling?" his voice was deeper, richer and smoother. _God._ If I was attracted to him before I wondered what the word what I felt now was. _Everything about him drew me in._

"Fine." My voice sounded deeper, too – more of a sultry alto than before. Huh.

"Is your throat bothering you, my dear? Would you like to feed?" I cataloged the feeling in my throat automatically at his words, but it wasn't bothering me too much. I had a slight tickle in the back of it, like it was dry and I needed a sip of water to clear it.

"Doesn't hurt, just feels a little dry. _Should_ I feed now?" I looked at him, curious. Is this was the thirst feels like? If so – they exaggerated _a lot._

"Yes. Everyone feeds as soon as they wake. But most of us feel an intense need to do so immediately. Even though you aren't I would like to keep you as comfortable as possible."

I nodded. He reached out for my hand, and at the contact of our skin, what had been a pleasant tingle when I was human, was now a nuclear blast. Sensation rocketed up my arm from our contact; it felt like chills even though his skin was only a scant degree colder than mine, now. Warmth seemed to blossom between our palms and it kept getting warmer the longer I held on. I looked at him, wide eyed. _Was that normal?_

But he was looking at our hands with a perplexed expression and I knew suddenly, that Aro had no idea what was going on either. Strangely, the thought relaxed me.

My eyes were glued to our hands to - but with an expression of want. I wondered how more skin on skin contact would feel… I shivered a little.

My thoughts cut off abruptly when I heard someone else enter the room. I reflexively took a breath in, and this person smelled of peppermints and what I could only describe as a sugary scent. I waited for whoever it was to show themselves, which seemed to be taking an inordinately long time. We were vampires – shouldn't this be practically instant?

Oh, it seemed Jane was giving me the extreme caution look Aro had a minute ago. What the _hell_ is that about?

I decided to ask. Brash as always. "What the fuck is up with this look the two of you are giving me? I'm starting to feel like a rabid dog."

Strangely, both of their postures relaxed at this. And I received two large smiles.

They answered simultaneously – like those creepy twins in Alice and Wonderland - "Nothing at all."

I was totally unconvinced, but if they stopped – I really couldn't be bothered to care. I felt an intense urge to take a walk. And since I can now roam the castle...

"Can we take a walk? Or maybe I can meet the other guards? I have so much energy. Is that normal?" I bounced a little on my toes. And looked at them expectantly.

They're faces both wear identical expressions of shock. I was starting to wonder, not for the first time, how close they really were…

"Lets take you to eat first, my dear. Jane and I will feel better about taking you," his voice sounded a little strangled at this, "_for a walk,_ afterwards."

I decided to ignore his creepy undertone regarding my walk – and offered a sunny smile in return. Brazen Bella is going to kill them with kindness.

I took a few cautious steps forward; the two of them looked ready for anything, and edged towards the door. My new speed felt natural – if I didn't think before walking, I found I moved at lightening speed. I think trying to simulate a human pace would have been impossible at this point.

So, I walked around them, and sped ahead down the hallway; glancing back, I waited for one of them to catch up and show me the way.

Aro walked past, and grabbed my hand tugging me forward. The tingle in my hand was less of a shock this time, but only barely. I had to restrain myself from making a comment. Was this something unique to the two of us? Is this what vampire attraction feels like? If I was attracted to someone else would their touch tingle?

I pondered this the entire walk, until we stopped in front of a plain wooden door. I could here a strange thumping coming from inside, but I didn't recognize it. My nose picked up a lovely scent drifting out of the room – it smelled like all my favorite foods. It made my mouth water.

Aro pushed the door open, and stared at me – waiting for my reaction, but I wasn't sure which one to display. _They_ smelled mouthwatering. It was a small tourist family. A dad, a mom and two teenaged kids – dressed for sightseeing, they looked a little ragged – probably the stress of being held hostage – and they stared at me, with terror. The spike of adrenaline they must all have been feeling, sweetened their scent. But I felt too guilty to eat them. Geez, did they have to be regular people?

"Man, I don't want to eat the Partridge Family! Couldn't you have found me a scum bag or something? Maybe on my walk we'll find a nice rapist or two?" I looked at Aro, and he was perturbed. He glanced back at the humans – who obviously heard my speech and started to relax. Before I realized my error. Damn, I _said that right in front of them._ Now, they have to be eaten. Shit. So much for mercy.

I said as much – "Well, shit. Next time I guess I'll whisper that in your ear or something. Guess I have to eat them now, eh?" I gave Aro a look of understanding and he nodded.

"Fucking A. Will you knock them out so it's less traumatic for them? I doubt I could control my strength. And they really don't deserve to be scared to death." I was looking at Aro, but I glanced at Jane to see if she'd do it. Aro looked a little too shocked to be much help right now.

She nodded, and walked around the room touching each person on the neck. They slumped immediately, and in 15 seconds she was back, and everyone in the room looked to be sleeping. I walked in, and glanced back at the two of them.

"You guys want one?" Nodding toward the two teenagers. I felt bad, offering them up like cans of coke – but _really_. It could have been a lot worse for them. And, the rules were simple. I mean I was a _vampire_ now because of the rules. Nobody that knew could live. One way or another every one of us died. I was just one of the fortunate few that didn't have to stay dead.

Jane answered for them both, "You go first, if you're not still thirsty we'll have what's left."

I nodded and grabbed the man – I didn't know how long he would remain knocked out – especially with me sucking his blood out, so I grabbed his head and _very_ gently turned it until I heard his neck break. I leaned in and smelled his neck. _Yum._ He smelled a little like _all_ my favorite foods. Like pot roast, or chicken lo mein, pork fried rice, potatoes au gratin, or scrambled eggs. I couldn't determine _which_ one, but he smelled so tasty – I didn't have time to think about it anymore. I wanted to take a bite out of him _so_ bad.

I put my lips to his neck, and bit down. _AAAH…_ ambrosia. It was delicious. And I gulped and gulped and gulped – and ran out. I squeezed him a little, like a juice box. Surely that wasn't _all_ of it?

Jane must have seen my expression – confused annoyance – because she laughed. _Loudly._

I shot her a dirty look, and grabbed the woman. Same thing. She was even more delicious, if possible. Like a strawberry milkshake on a hot day.

I let her drop to the floor and licked my lips. _Ummm._ I could probably eat more, but only because I was greedy – so I nodded at the other two and walked toward the wall to give them some space. I wanted to see their technique. Did I do a good job?

Apparently, I did – both Jane and Aro did the same thing I had. There was no mess to clean up, we'd been very careful, and I raised my eyebrows when they just left the bodies lying on the floor.

"Someone will come by and take them to the incinerator, in a few minutes." Aro remarked, while smoothing his shirt, and glancing at my dress as if looking for any tell tale stains.

I shook my head – "That's not necessary. Just tell me where it is, and I'll drop them off."

Aro looked a little guilty, and before I had time to ponder it, Jane stepped in. "The incinerator is in the basement, sire. I can show Bella, unless you'd like to accompany us."

Wow – he's been eating this way, _all_ these years – and he doesn't even know where the incinerator is? Talk about spoiled.

By mutual agreement, we all turned and grabbed a body. Aro had to carry both the teenagers – but I figured that was just considering this would be the first time he disposed of his own dinner, in what _had_ to be FAR too long.

Our walk to the basement was uneventful. I still could not get over how I managed to _never_ see anyone in the hallways. It was a disquieting observation. It meant I was being avoided – and quite thoroughly, too.

Why would _that _be?

As usual, my ponderings continued all the way until we got to the "incinerator room." A fairly obvious place – considering the overwhelming scent of burnt meat and ashes.

With little fanfare – each of us tossed our burdens inside the large chamber, the door was closed and Jane pressed a red button on the front panel.

Flames erupted, the smell of gas was strong, and I watched morbidly as my victims skin bubbled and melted – with my new vision I could see _everything_. It quickly became something I really didn't want to see, but I felt they deserved a few moments of my discomfort, since they had given their lives for no other reason than so I could live mine.

When their bones turned to ash, I turned my back and walked back out into the corridor.

"Shall we take a walk, now?" I was excited by the prospect of fresh air. I needed to get out of this gloomy place for a while. I turned toward Aro, who looked like he was about to protest – giving him my best pleading face – I tacked on a whimpered, "please?"

He caved, instantly. I noted the ease of his capitulation for later – and headed back up to the main floor.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! A


	9. Meeting the Coven

Chapter 9

The air outside was warm against my body – and I took a deep breath in to savor the smells of the garden.

I'd found I could limit my senses or stretch them out. Like now, I could smell just the garden, but if I wanted to – I could probably smell the scent of every vampire that had ever walked through it, too. I sat down on a bench, and leaned back. The sun felt heavenly on my face, and my eyes slid shut. I was so lost in the moment of relaxation I forgot Jane and Aro were with me. Until they started talking…

"Ugh – Master, look at this deplorable work. You should fire that gardener. For every leaf that man picked up, there are at least two that were left."

Remembering the sound of the gardener raking leaves during my change, I glanced around – trying to see what she did. The grounds looked perfectly fine to me. The wind was blowing and there _were_ trees everywhere. Surely, the man couldn't he held accountable for the forces of nature?

"Seriously, Jane? Look at all these damn trees. Is the gardener, himself a supernatural? Because surely you are holding him to a supernatural standard."

She huffed, clearly having no rebuttal – the man _must_ have been human.

Aro finally spoke up – "Isabella is right. No one could clear _every single _leaf. Not even you, Jane."

That seemed to be the end of it. But now I was curious about mortals working at the castle…

"So, are there a lot of humans that work here?"

Aro responded, "Just a few, it would look strange to the townsfolk, if I didn't hire a few locals to tend to simple things like yard work and the like. I tell them I have my own live in staff for cooking and cleaning – but landscaping isn't something _anyone_ here really finds enjoyable."

"What about the gardening? Everything is set up so nicely. I love the arrangements."

Both Aro and Jane looked uncomfortable at this – which I couldn't understand. Wasn't that a simple question? Or more a compliment for whomever was taking care of the gardens? What was this pinched look on everyone's face?

"Yes, it's very lovely. Why don't you come inside now, and we'll have all the guard convene so you can meet them, finally?"

It was obvious something was being hidden, but I was new – and perhaps they were allowed their secrets. So I pretended not to notice the lapse, and pasted an enthusiastic expression on my face.

"I'd love to! How many guards are there total, anyway?" The change of subject was obviously welcome, and both Jane and Aro crowded me a little as we headed back towards the castle.

"Twelve," answered Jane, "myself, Alec, Felix, Demetri, Heidi, Renata, Corin, Chelsea, Dominic, Sierra, Afton, and Santiago."

"Twelve?" I whispered incredulously – "How have I not managed to see a single one of them the _entire_ time I've been here?"

Both Jane and Aro looked uncomfortable. It was starting to become a pattern with the two of them.

"Well, you were human before – which was a risk, and we didn't want you to be overwhelmed _right_ after waking up. So we asked them to give you space. It's not like we've been hiding you forever – it's only been well, today makes 6 days."

I couldn't _really_ argue with that – though I felt it was a bit of an overreaction on their parts.

"Is that everyone that lives at the castle? What about mates, are any of the guard or –" looking Aro – "your brothers mated?"

"No." came the succinct answer, "No one here is mated. It is _exceptionally_ rare. My brother Caius is married to a companion. Marcus is the only one of us to ever find a mate. And he lost Didyme a _very _long time ago."

I grimaced at this – the next question came out of my mouth without any forethought. "If mating is so rare – why did Edward think I was his mate?"

Aro appeared disconcerted by the question, but seemed to answer honestly. "I have no idea. Vampires cannot mate to humans. I can only assume it was due to Alice's vision of the two of you. But her visions would have only shown your mutual desire to stay together. Not whether or not you were mated. Vampires commonly take companions. In fact, most vampire couples are simply companions. The term mate is now widely used for any companion that is fully committed to his or her significant other. But we here in the Volturi respect the term mate, and keep it sacred. After witnessing what Marcus and Didyme had – the difference between the two was made very clear to me."

Huh… I took a few moments to digest Aro's words. It was hard to imagine that Edward just _liked_ me enough to call me his mate – but had no idea if we'd ever be more than companions.

"How many truly mated pairs have you ever met?" I asked.

"Two in the whole of my existence. One was many years ago, a couple named Sera and Jonas. I did not get the opportunity to read them, but they were _very_ devoted to one and other. The only pair I've read the thoughts of were Marcus and Didyme. And their bond was incredible. Awe inspiring. I do not believe there are enough adjectives in the dictionary to accurately describe it. They were truly a sight to behold. But, as I said – Didyme was lost to Marcus many years ago." Aro's tone was very somber. I assumed he'd been close to Didyme, as well. What a tragedy.

I changed the subject – not wanting to stir bad memories.

"So are all the guard here at the moment?"

"Yes – Alec has since returned from his trip, and you've caught a few others just before they are planning to depart."

I nodded – pleased to be introduced to them all at once. We were walking the hallway towards the throne room when Aro suddenly spoke, in a slightly louder tone of voice than usual.

"Please convene everyone." That was it. Seriously? He expected everyone to just hear that and come running?

Apparently – because by the time we reached our destination, half of the guard and one of the rulers were already there.

I was suddenly nervous. I _really_ wanted everyone to like me. Did being recruited to the guard mean I would be here _forever?_ Hmmm... something to ask Jane when I cornered her. _She'd_ certainly been here long enough for it to be considered a permanent move. And, Aro had sired her, as well. Hmm... yet another good question.

Did it mean anything that Aro was my sire? Would I need to stay with him? _Did I really want to leave him?_

My thoughts were interrupted by the last few members arriving. As soon as they did – Aro stepped away from my side, presumably to address them.

"Everyone. I'd like you all to meet Isabella – she has just completed her change, and agreed to become a member of the guard. I'd like us all to formally welcome her to the Volturi Coven." He waved his arm at me, like I was a prize on a game show – and I wondered if everyone would break into applause in recognition.

Definitely not. Instead, they formed a line – and began introducing themselves to me, one at a time.

The first in line was a burly, dark haired man. He held his hand out for mine, and shook it vigorously for several seconds before speaking.

"Hello, Isabella. My name is Felix. I'm glad to meet you, and welcome you to the guard. If you ever need anything or have any questions – I hope you'll seek me out."

His voice was only slightly accented and his expression was very open and a huge smile split across his handsome features.

I returned his greeting, "Hi Felix. Thanks very much – I'm glad to be here."

I wasn't at all sure what to say to his friendly overture of "seeking him out." Surely, if I said something about doing so, it would be taken the wrong way. And as good looking as he was – he didn't move me like Aro.

Felix stepped back, and a voluptuous red head took his place. She grabbed my hand before I could even offer it, and began speaking without prompting.

"Isabella, I'm Corin. I'm so happy you're here. We _need_ to even out the numbers. It's been predominately men the last few times people have been recruited. I'm so glad to have more females. We'll have to get together soon."

_Well._ "I look forward to it, Corin." I smiled widely and shook her hand once more before she moved away.

She was replaced by a small dark haired boy – he was very young, and I had to assume this was Alec.

He held his hand out for mine, and shook it very gently and briefly before dropping it and saying, "Isabella. I'm Alec, Jane's twin. I'm very glad to meet you. I hope we'll get a chance to speak again, soon."

Hmmm... cryptic. I answered politely, anyway - "Alec, very nice to meet you. I'm sure we will." We shared a look – that clearly said message _sort of_ received. And a nod ended our exchange before he vacated his place.

Next was a small some what plain looking brunette. Suddenly, I felt several eyes on our encounter, and I had to wonder why. She held her hand out for mine, and I grabbed it – shaking politely. She still hadn't said a word. I figured it would help if I started.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you..." I purposefully let my voice trail off. Why wasn't she speaking?

Aro laughed in the background, and I found myself looking at him questioningly.

"Renata's gift is a shield – more like a deterrent. If she's focused on you, as she's doing now – while maintaining physical contact – you should be disoriented and confused about your purpose and want to leave." He responded.

My eyebrows rose, and I smirked a little - "Sorry about that Renata. Your gift wouldn't be the first one to not work on me. Don't take it personally."

Her gift obviously developed because of her personality – she was painfully shy.

She smiled at me nervously and muttered a "nice to meet you" before scurrying away.

I wanted to call out "Next" _so badly._ Too bad that would have been in poor taste. It took a few moments, but finally a dark haired man, dressed in what looked like hiking gear approached.

He began to speak, as he reached for my hand. "Hi Isabella. I'm Demetri. Very glad to meet you. I must ask. You said abilities don't work on you? Are you a shield? I'm a tracker and I'm not getting any sort of signature from you at all. Even your scent is extremely light. It's a nerving."

I had no idea how to answer that – I'd spent no time at all contemplating my "power" since I woke – and as far as I knew there was no shield. My talent _was _ simply rendering other gifts useless. That's all I'd been able to do so far.

"Sorry, Demetri. I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea."

"I'd be glad to work with you on it – when I return." He smiled winningly, and for the first time since our meeting, I noticed how handsome he was. It must be a vampire thing. Really. There was no way they _all_ had such good genes. I just realized I hadn't looked in a mirror at all since my change. Maybe I was attractive, too? I vowed to go look as soon as I was done here.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks." I gave him a big smile, too. And he looked a little more dazzled than I was prepared for. Hmmm...

The next was _the_ most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life. Unlife. Whatever.

She seemed to know it, too. I'm sure I looked appropriately shocked and she seemed to revel in it.

"Hi Isabella, I'm Heidi. It's very nice to meet you. Let's speak again soon."

I sputtered a little, and I swear I was blushing on the inside. "Yes- yeah, I'd like that. Nice meeting you, too Heidi."

She freaking sauntered away. _What the fuck? _ Was I _attracted_ to a woman? Did that shit just happen? I shook my head sharply, and brought the world back into focus just in time for the next person.

"Hi Isabella. I'm Sierra! I'm so happy to meet you! I swear we're going to be the best of friends! Come talk to me later!" She grabbed my hand and shook it hard before bouncing away without waiting for a reply. She reminded me so much of Alice, I blinked my eyes hard to dispel the image of her doing the _exact_ same thing.

A blond man replaced her – seeming to sense my bemusement with her departure – he just reached out and grasped my hand lightly. "Isabella, I'm Afton. I'm pleased to welcome you to our coven. Along with Demetri, I'd be glad to assist you with training. I will not be accompanying them on their trip – so any time you like you may seek me out for assistance."

"Thanks very much, Afton. I'll do that." I nodded at him with a smile and he walked off.

A small blond woman stepped forward. A curt nod, no handshake - "I'm Chelsea. Welcome to Volterra."

_Well._ What the fuck was the deal with the animosity there? I had no time to figure it out – because a tall, slightly Spanish looking man approached me.

"Isabella," he seemed to purr out my name, it was disconcerting, "I am Santiago. It is a _great_ pleasure to meet you, lovely one." He grabbed my hand and kissed it. Lingering a little too long, in my opinion. I heard a growl. I whipped my head toward the noise, but it was suddenly gone – and there were too many people crowded around me to determine the source.

FINALLY – I was down to the last guardsman. Jesus – was I getting tired? Was that even possible?

He had medium brown hair, just a few shades darker than blond – and the first beard I'd ever seen on a vampire. _Interesting._

He was brusque almost to the point of rude - "Isabella. I'm Dominic. I hope you like it here." He nodded to me, and left. _Huh._

Now, it was time for the other two rulers. Oh, and the women behind the thrones. _Who are they?_

I turned and made eye contact with Aro – hoping he'd introduce me – and I didn't have to wait long. Apparently he'd been waiting for this. He rose off his throne and turned around, and _stumbled._ What the fuck?

He glanced back at me – and I swear he looked panicked. What the hell could be wrong with him?

"Ah, Isabella – this is my brother Caius, co-ruler of Volterra." The blond king had a cruel smirk. I gave him a nod and a small polite smile, and he returned it sans smile. Well, I guess we'll skip the pleasantries. Aro seemed to expect this; he moved right on.

"And, this is my other brother, Marcus – the other co-ruler of Volterra." The brunette king was somewhat expressionless, but seemed intrigued by something, _over my head?_ His eyes kept bouncing between Aro and I – back and forth, back and forth. I decided he was probably senile, if such a thing was possible. I mean he _looked_ crazy... I nodded at him, but he was too preoccupied to notice.

I made eye contact with one of the women standing behind the thrones and looked at Aro again. He seemed to be avoiding my gaze, and looked a little sick.

She seemed confused by Aro, too – and looked back at me with a smile – that I returned. It froze on my face with his next words.

"This is my wife, Sulpicia."

I will not show any emotion. I will not cry. My heart cracked in my chest. It _hurt_. I just looked at her with my frozen smile and gritted my teeth to keep the sobs inside.

Of course he was married. Of course. I nodded my head, and hoped my eyes weren't glassy.

He sounded choked when he gave the last introduction - "and, finally – this is Athenodora, Caius's wife."

I nodded to her, as well. _I had to get out of here._ I could feel my facade breaking. My frozen smile would crack at any moment.

I willed myself out of there. Let the ground swallow me up and remove me from this place.

It felt like my body dissolved. The agony overshadowed my surprise. I didn't care. I was just grateful to be gone.

I wanted to be outside. A bare second after the thought processed through my head, I found myself in the garden. I raced as far from the castle as I could get.

Hold it together for another minute, Bella. One more minute. I choked a little, and ran. I ran so fast, _so_ quickly the world looked blurred to _me._ I didn't care. I had one thought now – _escape._

I willed no one to follow me. I willed myself invisible. Just let me be gone. By the time I came back to my senses, I was in a forest.

I collapsed against a tree and screamed. I picked up a stone and threw it so hard it whistled as it flew through the air. I think I screamed again.

Why would he lead me on when he was married?

_I'm a fucking home wrecker._

My mind was a kaleidoscope of my memories with Aro.

I sobbed hard, if tearlessly. _Christ. _ I didn't even realize I wanted Aro so much until this moment.

The world was _so_ unfair.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. A


	10. Nothing lasts forever

Chapter 10

I don't know how long I spent in that forest. Time seemed to work differently for vampires. One moment, I was lost in my heartbreak – the next I was aware of my surroundings, but still displeased.

I wondered what woke me up.

Aah. A rustling in the undergrowth due west of my nest by the tree. Due west... _coming from the direction of the castle?_

I didn't want to be found. I needed a little longer to collect myself. A little more time to process that the last kiss I had with Aro was the last one we'd ever share. I didn't want to discuss my overreaction with the goddamn peanut gallery.

_Just a little more time. I'd be okay again... I just needed some time. Yeah._

I willed myself to be as silent and still as the tree I rested against.

I tried to stretch my senses, while taking a deep quiet breath in – _shit._ It was Jane.

I wasn't sure I could avoid her or that I should even try. I kinda needed to cuss her out for not telling me about Aro's motherfucking wife.

Maybe she could have worked that in _before_ dispensing her very sage "be confident" advice. Bitch.

Yeah. She deserved a piece of my mind.

I stood fluidly. I leaned against the tree, and stopped trying to conceal myself, taking deep noisy breaths, and shuffling my feet a little to clue her into my location.

As expected, her course never deviated, but her pace increased. Suddenly she was standing right in front of me. I glared at her with my darkest look. I could rip her apart for not forewarning me.

She seemed to sense how angry I was... and didn't come within striking distance. Not that it mattered with my speed, but I wanted answers more than I wanted to kill her.

"Why?" I screamed out, "I thought we were fucking friends. Why the fuck would you let me get blindsided like that? What kind of sadistic bitch are you?" There was so much venom in my voice, Jane winced.

She held her hands palms up, like she was telling me to hold on – and I became aware that I was crouched and growling at her. _When did that happen?_

I heard someone else coming, probably hearing my outburst. I didn't think. I grabbed Jane's arm and ran pulling her in the opposite direction.

I willed myself to be silent. And faster than whoever was chasing us. I _needed_ to have this talk with her. My whole future with the Volturi depended on this.

As much as I wanted to pretend I would be all right with some time – my humiliation wasn't going to disappear tomorrow. Time to me now meant something _very_ different. I couldn't go back there and smile at Aro's wife while I felt like _this. _And I had all the time in the world...

I would _eventually_ be the bigger person. But that day was not today, or any time in the foreseeable future.

Finally, I felt we'd gone far enough. We were probably in another country by now. Surely this was sufficient to lose a single tracker.

I let go of Jane's arm and gave her _the look._ You know which one. The spit-it-out-and-hope-it-keeps-me-from-killing-you look.

She backed up a little and gave a deep sigh. She seemed to realize how important her next words were.

"Bella. I didn't do this to you on purpose. I _swear._ Aro forbid me from telling you about Sulpicia. He said there was a good reason, and I didn't question him. I knew he liked you. I know your attraction is mutual. I thought he was going to get a divorce. And, maybe not tell you until it was final, or something. _Fuck. _I'm not sure what the damn plan was – but it _definitely_ was _not_ what happened. I KNOW you saw his face when he told you. He didn't want it to happen that way, either."

She gave me a pleading look – like her "I blindly follow orders like a good little soldier" routine meant shit to me.

"What way could that have gone that wouldn't have hurt my feelings? You think if I found out _later_ – when I had time to fall in love with him, it would have been better? My fucking heart is breaking _now._ What the hell would have been accomplished by stringing this out?" I ranted.

"Bella, they're not mates. They're companions. Companions break up all the time. In fact, they're marriage has lasted longer than any other companionship I've ever heard of."

"Am I supposed to be comforted by that? The longest relationship in motherfucking history – means they _love_ each other. Who the fuck am I to get in the way of that?" I yelled.

"Shit. I don't fucking know. I mean, in the 400 years I've been with the Volturi I've never seen Aro show an interest in _any_ woman. That includes Sulpicia. Even if he only desires you, it's still more interest than anyone else has received. _That's_ why I told you to pursue it. Vampires are sexual creatures, Bella. We all fuck someone. Why _shouldn't_ you fuck Aro, if he's the one you want?" She looked totally serious. Is that cold hearted shit true? _We all fuck someone._

"Well. You go ahead and fuck a married man, if that's what _you_ want. I'm holding out for someone that wants me more than that." I sniffled, thinking how little he must want me to stay married and order it kept quiet so he could roll around the sheets with me _until_ I found out. Why would I want the adulterous bastard?

Aren't _I_ better than that? Am I not _worth_ more than that?

"Didn't he know I would eventually find out? There are only 17 people that live in that castle. Didn't he assume I would hear it from someone else? Or run into Sulpicia in the hallways? _Or_ did he think me such a whore I would sleep with him before any of that could ruin it for him?"

I sat down at that thought – really, at this point I was only hurting myself with my musings. I rubbed my hands over my face, and tried to shake off the image of losing my virginity to a married man, who was hiding his wife in the same _fucking_ house I lived in.

A shudder ripped through me.

Then, I thought of all the times Aro looked confused and hesitant. Did he even really want me? Did I push this on him?

The first time he kissed me – he walked away. The second time, _I_ kissed _him_. And he _attempted_ to stop things before they got too heated. Was that his loyalty to his wife? Or his hesitance about me?

The puzzled look he gave our clasped hands. Like I was a science experiment he couldn't figure out.

Then, I remembered the sorrow in his voice when he thought something was wrong with my change. The way he held me for _two _days.

What the fuck did _that_ indicate?

I was so confused.

I let out a deep sigh. And decided to ask the ultimate question.

"All that aside fucking is _one _thing – but Jane, this is so much more than just physical desire. I really _like_ him. Despite the fact that I've been pushed away more often then not by him. And, _this – _this fiasco today. This was the ultimate shove in another direction. Is the possibility of his _interest_ really worth the constant blows to my self esteem? Do you _really_ think he's worth it?"

I'm not sure if I was asking her whether or not I should forgive Aro. Or if whatever we have would ever even be classed a relationship. Maybe I was just thinking out loud. But her response shocked me.

"I can never answer that for you – _if _you decide to give him a chance, love is _always _a risk. You can never be 100% sure. Ask yourself this instead... can you imagine being with anyone else?"

The answer was still on the tip of my tongue when I smelled him. _Fucking Christmas._

Jane and I sat in silence, just waiting for him to find us. The footfalls of at least four people were moving rapidly closer to our location.

We looked into each others eyes – she seemed to be asking me a question. And suddenly, I knew what it was. Aro would want to read her thoughts before we spoke. It was his way of always being a step ahead. Did I want her to allow it?

Yeah – _fuck it_ – I did. He should know the depth of the hurt I was feeling. Let him ponder that before trying to blunder his way through an apology.

I nodded my head – and she set off to meet them.

I heard the murmur of conversation, but it was faint, even to me – and I couldn't make out precisely what they were saying. It only lasted a minute, and suddenly there was silence. Aro must be reading her. A growl rang out. And I figured Aro got to the part about my being such a whore it wouldn't matter that he was married.

More silence. Then a murmur and I could hear only one set of feet coming this way.

Aro appeared in my line of sight – looking one part apologetic and one part agonized. I had no idea what to say. I just looked at him. He was so pretty – and I wanted him _so_ much, but I had put myself out there enough. Aro never gave me any indication he wanted me, too – beyond a couple of lusty looks. I was suddenly despairing. It was obvious to me that I'd already lost him.

He wasn't going to let go of a centuries long relationship for the _possibility_ of me. And he shouldn't have to.

I would make this easy for him. And we would go back to our lowly guardsman and untouchable master relationship. It wasn't as if we'd ever made it too terribly far past that.

"Isabella - "

"Aro -" we both started to speak at the same time.

I held up my hand for him to let me go first. I could only _imagine_ the polite let down he had planned for me – I just wasn't capable of listening to it right now.

"Aro – while I don't completely understand why you would hide your marriage from me, I understand that you _are _married. Which is enough." I looked away from him before I said the next part – a lump rose in my throat – but I swallowed it back viciously_, I had to give him an out_. "I will discontinue my inappropriate overtures and we can go back to things as they should be."

I didn't look at him. _Fuck_ that was hard to get out. But he had to know I would. While, _I_ couldn't imagine myself with anyone else – that didn't mean I was going to make things uncomfortable for him if he wanted to stay with her.

Aro stepped closer, and I crushed my body back against the tree I was standing in front of. He grabbed my hand, and I could feel the now familiar tingles. I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to imagine that this was the last time I would feel them.

"Isabella. I didn't keep the knowledge of my wife from you maliciously. I just didn't understand the bond, the attraction I have to you – and I wanted some time before I had to make a decision. I know Jane told you Sulpicia and I have been together for many years – but what she could not have known, is that for most of those years – we were simply companions, in the true sense of the world. There has been nothing romantic between us for _several_ centuries. I have kept her as my wife, because of the position it affords her. A concession, if you will – because I found myself unable to _be_ with her, after only a short time married. I don't believe that will be the case with you. After your rather spectacular exit – Marcus showed me our bond. Well, as it _was._ He said it turned black when you found out about Sulpicia. He thinks we are mates. But something you must know about mates is that they still have to make the choice to be together. If we never fully bond, we will not be plagued by all the downfalls of mating, but a lingering pain will be present whenever we are in each other's presence. Such a thing would be intolerable. If you choose not to be with me, I will have to send you to another coven to live out your newborn year."

I opened my eyes wide at that, and stared at him incredulously.

"Are you trying to say _you_ want to be with _me? _Are you offering me the chance to _be_ your mate?"

Aro looked contemplative. "I would like to try, Isabella. I would like the chance to get to know you enough to make that choice, the right way. I would rather not give you an unequivocal yes or no, right now. If I divorce Sulpicia will you stay with me until _we _have the chance to figure it out?"

I knew I would later regret not giving him hell for the last few hours of anguish and guilt he'd knowingly set me up for – but at the moment I was too overcome with happiness to do much more than throw myself into his arms, and greedily inhale his Christmas scent while nodding crazily.

His arms locked around me, and I felt him doing the same thing I was, breathing deeply of my scent. Both of our bodies relaxed and as I pressed my face into his neck, all I could think was – I was right. _All_ of my skin that was touching him tingled. _Hell yeah._

A/N: So... there have been a lot of questions about Bella's powers, and - well, one person - asked for more action. So I promise the next chapter will explain everything, and maybe I'll have her kick someone ass, too. Just for you - anonymous guest who finds my story tame. Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll probably won't get the next chapter out until late tomorrow night. Please review in the mean time! A


	11. Willing invincibility

Chapter 11

My return to the castle was pretty anti-climactic. Without saying anything to the five people in my party – I walked straight to my room, and closed the door.

I headed for the bathroom, and took off my dress. My shower this time was all business. I wasn't even slightly in the mood to tempt fate by trying self-pleasure for the second time.

Getting out – I remembered my pledge in the throne room to look at my new appearance. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and was absolutely gob smacked at what I saw. _I was fucking beautiful. _

My hair had darkened – what used to be a dark chestnut was now a deep espresso color, a shade away from black. My awesome new vision saw the tiniest hint of red in it – as if it would shine in the sun. Not that I would be in the sun much to notice. My eyelashes darkened too – only they looked onyx and framed my eyes so thickly, it looked like I was wearing a whole tube of mascara. My eyes were, of course, bright red. Not the cool faceted ruby color of Aro's either – more of a flat burgundy. I figured this was because my body was still full of my partially changed blood, instead of fresh _replacement_ blood. I hoped they would resemble his soon. My skin was _freakishly_ white – not like Aro's somewhat more flesh toned skin, my skin was BRIGHT white. I could only assume Aro had a sort of olive tint to his complexion when he was changed, giving him a more natural looking shade. My skin was scar and blemish free – and dropping the towel... _much_ curvier than before TOO! Of course, I _was_ practically skin and bones when I was changed, so while I wasn't exactly Jessica Rabbit now, it was still a BIG improvement. My breasts were probably 2 cup sizes larger. I _might_ fit into a small D, now – and my waist and hips were more defined. My legs had firmed, and a tiny bit of weight was added to my thighs and calves, giving them more definition, too. All over a solid win. I was _so _pleased!

I decided to see if I could keep the good vibes rolling – and walked into the closet for some clothes. I found a lovely matching bra and panty set in my acquired size. For my new proportions, I was able to locate jeans, that while a size bigger than I used to be – fit perfectly now. After searching for another ten minutes, I finally located a short dress, I decided to scrunch up to make into a shirt. It was black, sleeveless, form fitting and looked good even though I had to bunch it up at my hips. I put the black sandals back on and brushed my hair. I tried brushing my teeth, but the toothpaste tasted _terrible, _and my toothbrush looked _seriously_ frayed after only a few strokes.

I gave it up – my teeth looked white anyway – and I only drank blood. Would that stain them? I made a mental note to ask Jane.

Leaving the bathroom, I paused when I noticed a package lying on my bed. I supposed someone had come in while I was in the shower... _again. _It better not have been Aro.

After opening the package – I found a jewelry case and a note.

Welcome to the Volturi

A beautiful V necklace was laid out in the case – rubies, or garnets lined the V – and a small crest was nestled in the center of the V curve.

I immediately put it on, and trying to play around with my new senses – sniffed the box apprehensively. _Peppermints._

Well, at least Aro knew better than to sneak up on me in the shower, again.

I opened the door carelessly – not expecting company – but low and behold. _Several_ people were waiting in my sitting room.

Have no fear – brazen Bella will break the ice - "What the fuck's this? You guys get locked out of your own rooms, or something?"

Aro smirked from his place on my sofa, Jane laughed from her position across from him, Felix stood by the door looking like he wanted to answer, but glanced at Aro and decided against it- and Santiago just looked confused.

Nevertheless, nobody spoke. I raised an eyebrow looking at Aro for an explanation.

"We're here to escort you to the throne room, my dear. Eleazar has arrived to read your powers. Afterward, Felix and Santiago will go with you to the training room to begin practice." Well... no rest for the wicked, then.

"Eleazar... where have I heard that name before? It sounds awfully familiar." I definitely remembered it, but while my human memories weren't gone – anything before the last few days was hazy.

"Eleazar is a member of the Denali Coven. Good friends of the Cullen's. He's a former Volturi guard, too – though, and he comes out to read all my new recruits."

I nodded – I still wasn't sure what his power was, but if it would explain mine... I was all for him working it on me.

"Well – let's get it over with then." We all started to file out into the hallway – and somehow arranged ourselves into an entourage, with Aro and I in the middle, Felix and Santiago in the front and Jane following. _Did they just do that on purpose?_ Aro grabbed my hand – and somehow I knew they had. _Hmmm..._tingles.

The walk to the throne room was short, I knew logically that it wasn't – but with vampire speed, the castle now seemed the size of a regular house for all its navigability. Yet another awesome perk of my new state.

Walking in I saw Marcus and Caius on their thrones already – and a medium height dark haired man was standing in the middle of the room. The rest of the coven was absent and I was grateful. I was still wondering about the tense, slightly rude introductions I'd received from some of them.

Eleazar turned toward me, and gave me a strange look. I guess this was his power at work – but the slightly constipated expression on his face, made it look unpleasant for him.

Silence reigned. You could feel the anticipation in the air – _Jesus, just say something already!_

Finally, after what felt like an age – but was really only a single minute – Eleazar spoke to me.

"Do you have witches in your family?" _Crazy gift man say what?_

I tried to be as polite as possible, while still talking down to him.

"No," drawing the vowel out so it was a noooo, "I really don't think so." Are there witches? Shit, I'm a vampire. Open yourself up to the supernatural already, Bella.

"But you aren't sure? Were you very clumsy in your human life? Tripping over the very air?"

_Also, _a very left field question. "Yes – unfortunately."

"Witches that are not in tune with themselves, or do not practice magic – are very out of step with their bodies and the world around them. Clumsiness is a common side effect."

Weird. My dad was clumsy, too. _But - _my mom was _very_ graceful. Did that really indicate something? Was I really suspicious of my mom's grace?

_Get to the point already man._

"Do me a favor and _will _me to be able to feel you." Will. My mother always used to say that.

Memories assaulted me. I remembered a time I couldn't concentrate on studying – there was an annoying neighbor practicing with his band across the street. "Just will yourself to focus, Bella." _Another time_ – my cactus was dying. I'd done everything I could – watered, replanted – I even talked to the damn thing. What was my mother's advice? "Will it to get better Bella – plants need encouragement."

Will, will, _will. _Like my internal musings all the time. I _willed_ myself to disappear from the throne room. I _willed_ myself to not be found.

I decided to humor him. I was too freaked out not to. I consciously willed him to be able to see.

And his gasp rang out. "Ah, yes. A witch indeed. Alternatively, as we would call it in our world – a conjurer. I have met a few natural witches, but only one allowed me to read her. She was not _nearly_ as powerful as you. Therefore, I find myself with very little advice to give. Be forewarned – there is a limit to your abilities, but not the traditional kind. Because you can will things to happen, you will not know what the exact parameters are, until you practice. And it will get more powerful with time."

I was skeptical. That made it sound _too_ easy. Just will shit. Like wishes?

"It's only happened unintentionally so far. When you say _will_ things..." I let my voice trail off, an obvious question.

"I mean just that. Are you aware most spells end with the phrase – 'As I will so mote it be'? You can try using the terminology, of course – but the principle is the same. Just will events to occur, and see what happens. As I said, your limit is uncertain. You will simply have to practice."

I nodded – still a little unconvinced.

Aro finally interjected – "I have a few books that may assist you."

I looked at him with a relieved smile. I needed a lot more direction than Eleazar was providing.

"Would you like to do that now? Or would you rather attempt to practice?" Aro asked, glancing toward Felix and Santiago.

"Practice first, I think. May I come to your office after to look at the books?" I was sure he'd need a few minutes to locate anything he had on _those_ shelves.

"Of course." Aro smiled at me in what _appeared_ to be an affectionate way – I returned it, squeezing his hand lightly before letting go.

I whispered, "See you later, then" to Aro, called out a "Thank you" to Eleazar – and nodded to the other two kings. And walked out the door – assuming Felix and Santiago would follow me, if they wished to be a part of my practice.

Apparently, they were all too eager. Felix looked positively gleeful, and Santiago gave me a wide smile when he caught up to me.

They led me toward the center of the castle – yet another area I'd never seen.

We entered a large plain room with mats on the floors – it was completely empty, but the size of a ball room without any of the niceties.

"Okay Isabella," Felix began, "would you like to practice your power, or fighting first?" He seemed to be equally enthusiastic about either possibility, but I couldn't get the idea of _willing_ whatever I want as my power. That sounded _too_ awesome. I wanted to know what I could really do.

"I'd rather experiment with my power, first. Do either of you have a gift?" Looking between Felix and Santiago they both shook their heads. They were fighters then.

"No big deal – it's not like I don't already know I can block other people's powers. What about we wrestle and I see if I can do anything cool?"

I wanted to try the invisibility – but I didn't want to forewarn either of them. Bigger shock value. I was pretty sure I'd managed it in the forest.

"You first Felix" I said nodding at the giant. He backed up and crouched – his face going hard and cold.

I did the same – I waited until he tried to spring at me, before willing myself invisible and running to the left, so he wouldn't crash into me.

The expression on his face was _priceless._ Confused disbelief. He looked all the way around the room before letting out a huff.

I held my laugh in – I walked right up to his back, and spoke in his ear – before willing myself visible. "Boo."

He jumped TWO FEET in the air! I let my restraint go and started laughing loudly.

Santiago joined me – and walked over to pat my back, saying "Good job, Isabella."

Felix got over his fright, and laughed too – though not as boisterously as Santiago and I – saying "Yeah, Isabella. Good one."

I stepped back, and motioned Santiago forward – I wanted to try teleporting – or whatever it was I had done in the throne room. He crouched, and attacked without any preliminaries. I willed myself to the opposite side of the room. I felt the curious sensation of dissolving – a half a second before he would have impacted with my body – and I didn't feel myself travel the distance to the far wall – I just seemed to reappear.

I had been too out of it before to appreciate the superbly creepy feeling of reforming.

Dissolving wasn't so bad – but when my form came back – it felt like a block of ice running over my body. _Very uncomfortable._

They must have seen the grimace on my face – because instead of laughing this time, they both looked curious.

While I was inwardly victorious that I'd been able to pull it off. I wasn't sure I liked how it had felt. I didn't think I'd be using it instead of walking, that's for sure.

I explained, "That feels _super_ creepy. I think I'll avoid that one unless necessary."

"I'm sure it's the sort of thing you'd grow used to – all gifts are a little uncomfortable to use at first, I imagine." Felix offered. I nodded my head, but I wondered…

"Okay. Now I want you two to stand still and shut your eyes, focusing your hearing in. I'm going to practice my stealth. Tell me if you hear anything at all."

They both nodded and did as I asked – stalling their breathing so they could hear better. Huh, never thought of that one.

I willed myself silent, and scentless to boot. Then I crept closer to them. I tried to go slow so I wasn't disturbing the air, stopping close to each of them before moving away.

Only to circle the room, and do it again. Never of them twitched. But I wasn't sure that meant anything.

"Okay. How was that?" I finally asked - growing bored of just circling them.

They seemed startled that I was so close. "Really good. I didn't hear a thing." Felix answered. He looked at Santiago – who shook his head negatively.

"Sweet. Okay. Let's have a mock battle. Both of you against me. I'm going to try to use all three in a fight."

They looked a little apprehensive – but seemed willing. We formed a triangle. We all crouched – and sprang all at once. I willed speed, and got behind them. I willed silence, and went around to Felix's side, using my strength to push him down, and jump on his back. Santiago headed for us, and I went invisible, speeding behind him, and pushing him on top of Felix. With a growl they pushed off each other and got to their feet simultaneously. I teleported to the opposite end of the room, and then went invisible, to confuse them. When they turned around to look for me, I got behind them both and pushed them to their knees. And then, I tried something new. I willed their _compliance._

They both stopped, immediately – faces expressionless. Like robots.

I squealed. Like a 13 year old girl. My desire for their compliance vanished, and they both looked up at me confused.

I started peppering them with questions. "What did it feel like? Were you able to think around it? Or were your minds just blank?"

"What happened?" asked Felix

"I willed your compliance. You became expressionless and still. But then, I lost my concentration and you came right back out of it." My enthusiasm hadn't vanished, and a wide smile split my face.

"I don't remember anything. It's like the last moment of my life was when you pushed us both down, and it's a blank until I looked up at your smiling face."

I started laughing hysterically. It was _so _much better than I'd imagined. _No memories. _My laughter increased in volume. It started to sound a little maniacal. _Evil vampire laugh. _Check.

My laughter must have caught someone's attention, because soon we had company.

Jane joined us, followed closely by Alec. I waved at them. And tried to smother my chuckles.

By this time both Santiago and Felix were on their feet and shooting me glares.

"Sorry, guys. It was a spur of the moment decision. I didn't even think about it."

Jane couldn't contain her curiosity – "What'd you do?"

"I think I controlled their minds. It was fucking _awesome._ Can we try it again, so I can show her? I promise I won't make you do anything embarrassing." I gave them both a pleading look, but Santiago wasn't having it.

"No," he replied – his accent deepening, "I want no part of that, again. I will watch."

Felix shrugged his shoulders, "Do your worst" he told me.

I looked him in the eye and willed his compliance. His expression blanked, and I asked him, verbally - to repeat the alphabet.

He began immediately. "A, B, C, D, E, F –" I stopped him there, "Felix, go stand by Jane."

He dutifully started trekking towards Jane's position on the other side of the room.

I began laughing again. I really couldn't help it. _Best power ever._

My desire for his compliance vanished in my levity – and he came back out of it.

Jane looked skeptical. "Try it with Santiago, Felix and Alec all at once."

The trick here was that I wouldn't have eye contact. They were each in different parts of the room. I willed it to happen, and all their expressions blanked, instantly.

I kept the concentration up – and looked at Jane. "Want them to do anything in particular?"

"Will they remember this?" she replied.

"Nope."

"Tell them to sing 'I feel pretty' as loudly as they can." I repeated her words, and they all complied.

It was a sight to behold. And the one Aro walked into...

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, guys. I love hearing back from you. A


	12. Possible futures

Chapter 12

Aro's expression was grim. "I have found something you need to see."

His words sucked the levity from the room like a vacuum. Jane gave me a concerned look – but I didn't have time to return it. Aro reached for my hand, and pulled me out the door without another word.

I decided not to stress myself out about it – though Aro's disquiet gave me the irrational need to soothe _him. _

What was that about?

We arrived at his office in no time – I saw a collection of books laid out on the side table by his fireplace.

Seating myself in one of his leather recliners next to them, I looked at him expectantly.

He grabbed the oldest book out of the collection. It was not only covered in dust, but looked like the binding was barely hanging on by a thread.

"This came to me a hundred years ago," he began, "by way of an execution. A coven was killed for plotting against the Volturi, I read the mind of a newly turned member who had seen evidence of them working with the Romanians, and a powerful coven of witches. Felix was able to infiltrate the vampire coven – and assassinate the few members with troublesome gifts before they could be turned against us. But the coven of witches had only made contact through a third party that couldn't be found, so they escaped judgment. However, this book was found in the study of the coven's leader. I wasn't able to make sense of their purpose in giving it to him, or any of the people listed on its pages and so let the entire endeavor go... but when I opened it up today, I happened to read the names in the family tree listed on the title page again..." He turned the book so it was facing me – and pointed out the lowest branches, before continuing - "I now realize they must have had a member with psychic gifts, because when I received it, these people had yet to be born. And the ink it was written in looks to predate my acquisition of the text by at least 200 years."

I looked at the page he was pointing to – it seemed to be a royal line of witches, based on the crest at the top bearing a crown – and the names of the last of their lines sent a deep chill into me. It showed the union of Renee Higgenbotham and Charles Swan. The final heir being _Isabella Marie Swan._ There were no additional details, no dates of birth – nothing to give away _when_ these people would enter the family tree. But the significance was not lost on me.

_Both_ of my parents came from Royal Witch stock. And I was their _only heir. _The very last of a long and powerful line.

My father _obviously_ had no idea. He was clumsy, and mundane. BUT my mother on the other hand...

Did she know? Was she _leading _this coven right now? I'd lived with her for 16 years and never seen anything that would indicate she was... but little things started to filter through. Little tiny clues... not of her power – but _other_ things. The seeming randomness of our moves across the country. Her carelessness over our finances, the low level jobs she seemed to pick up and discard like newspapers. Her lack of close friendships. _As if we were in hiding..._

But if that were the case – why was my father able to maintain a permanent residence? So, maybe we weren't hiding. Maybe she was working for the coven all along... we always lived a comfortable lifestyle. Despite Renee's seeming lack of skills, she always appeared well paid, and we were able to facilitate our moves across the whole of the US with ease. Just picking up and going in a matter of days. She never seemed overly concerned, but when we got to Phoenix – she seemed to become _very_ comfortable, very quickly. Suddenly, she was making friends, buying a house, _settling down. _

_That _must have been where the coven's headquarters were located.

I felt like I received a premonition of confirmation – an eery shiver went through my body. Somehow I just _knew_ I'd stumbled onto the right answer.

Aro was my mate – despite our lack of bonding. Should I tell him what I'd figured out? He was also the head of the Volturi and the witches obviously represented a threat. Would he move against them?

I willed myself to see what would happen next. The certainty I received in my thoughts a moment ago, making me think it would work.

My mind started to whirr with thousands of images all at once. It was such an overload I dropped the book and whimpered.

I willed it to stop, _apparently "next" was too broad a search into the future_ and started to focus on what I'd seen. My vampiric mind could recall with perfect clarity _each_ image that had passed my mind's eye, but it was like watching clips of a movie out of order.

I saw a few that caught my attention, but not because of their significance so much as because of the content. I saw snapshots of my life with Aro. I _knew_ deep inside that we would be together. But to _see..._ and _not_ just what I thought I would. There were images of us talking, laughing, kissing, _fucking - _ and as interested as I was in _those, _the ones that stole most of my attention were the ones of us ruling. Aro and I sitting on matching thrones. Images of us in battle – killing everything in our path. Or standing in the back during an attack – watching the Volturi Guard slaughter some nameless coven.

There were several of disturbing images of me by myself, too. Crying bloody tears, destroying a small town, tearing a bunch of unknown vampires apart. In one - I was the very image of Death. Covered in venom, eyes black, teeth bared, holding someone's severed head in the grip of my left hand, a fireball in the palm of my right. Whoever was on the receiving end of _that _glare, wasn't going to live much longer.

_But what happened to get me there? Surely, only something traumatic would make me act that way..._

Aro was on his knees in front of me, and without thought I grabbed him in a hard hug, and breathed his scent into my lungs deeply. The action caused me to relax my grip a bit, and I made a swift decision that if everything I had seen was true – Aro would never act against _me._ The coven of witches no more deserved my loyalty than a distant cousin I'd never met – but Arowas my _future_. My mate. And I could never withhold anything from him, if I wanted his trust in return...

However, the retelling of it – was less dramatic than I'd assumed. As interested as he was in the information I provided, which upon retelling seemed very little... He was more concerned with my feelings about it.

He picked me up and sat me in his lap – and looked deep into my eyes. "Isabella, I know you are disturbed by what you have seen, but you must know – if you choose to bond with me that_ is_ what your life will be. These are not images of an irrevocable future – we have not bonded. You still have a choice. But be aware, we – the Volturi – but most specifically me – are the dealers of death to our kind in the world. If a reprieve is ever granted to someone guilty of a crime, it is only a temporary one. Sometimes – though rarely – it benefits us to wait. But again, for the most part – we are simply killers. Discriminate killers but killers, nonetheless. Vampires are violent, powerful creatures. We are difficult to cage, we are unchanging – not just physically but also in personality and temperament. A threat today is still a threat 10 years later. Unlike humans who can be incarcerated and become repentant, perhaps making a different decision in the future when faced with the same set of circumstances... vampires are incapable of the same. The only major change a vampire can have is mating – and even that will not change the key parts of who they are... just their priorities. If you stay here with me – that image – the one that so discomforted you – the picture of you as a killer. That will be your reality as the powerful mate of a Volturi King."

I had no words. I was shocked into silence. He was right, of course. I _knew_ that. The Volturi Guard were not really the protectors of the Royalty of Vampires, so much as the security detail for the Judge, Jury and Executioners of our world. Aro had more blood - and venom – on his hands than any other being on the face of the planet. He _was_ Death – and he wanted to know if I would knowingly remain in the arms of Death for all eternity.

And, I had no answer. It was not a version of my future I'd anticipated.

Suddenly, it was too much. Could a vampire really not choose it's mate? Asking me to contemplate choosing anything _but_ him was like asking me to go against nature. Wasn't it?

He was right about one thing, though. I would have to knowingly make that decision, even if I didn't feel myself capable of making any other. I couldn't walk into _that _future without being prepared, mentally if nothing else – and I couldn't become resentful of him later if it turned out to be something I didn't want.

I kissed Aro – not passionately like before – chastely, reassuringly – _briefly_ on the lips, so briefly I barely felt a tingle at all and murmured that I needed some time to think.

He looked saddened, but understanding and merely began collecting all the books into a pile for me to take.

I stood, grabbed the armload of books and with another lingering look – fled for my rooms.

The next few hours sped by in a blur – I was capable of speed reading as a vampire – and so I'd read every single book Aro provided me. Eight in total. And seemed to gain a vast knowledge of witchcraft as a whole, but I'd learned very little that applied to me.

I was lying on my bed now – contemplating the differences between what I was experiencing with my powers, and what I had read. It seemed to me my powers had morphed or maybe adapted due to my change into a vampire. While mortal witches had limited energy stores; I didn't. While mortal witches were only able to focus on one thing at a time; my concentration is infinite; mortal witches required spells and materials to do the same things I could pull off with a single _thought._

Was it because I was the product of the union of two powerful witches? Because I was the prophetic _last_ of those lines? Simply because all human powers become stronger with the vampiric change?

According to the book I'd read – I was now considered a _prospective_ Queen of the Witches. Once I'd reached the age of majority – and accepted my powers... or began to use them, I became eligible to take control of the monarchy. All I would have to do was prove my powers surpassed my predecessor – because only the strongest held the title. The Royal lines denoted in Aro's book were not family ties, but rather lines of power.

So all those years ago my parents were prophesized to be the next rulers. The strongest of the all living witches. And I was _going to be _Queen, in that version of reality. I wondered how much I changed things by becoming a vampire...

If most of it was the same, it was entirely possible my mother was the current ruler. But my Dad certainly did not co-rule, so the psychic's vision was already partially wrong. Much like my visions earlier. Just a possible _version_ of the future.

But - since I knew my powers to have surpassed _everything_ documented in those books already... it was clear the title _could_ be mine if I outed myself to them and accepted it.

In a small way, it was a relief. I _could _choose another path instead of becoming Aro's mate. There really was another place for me in the world. Though the thought of ruling over a bunch of mortal witches in the desert sounded _kinda_ _sucky_ in comparison to staying here and ruling with Aro in lovely Italy...

Plus, everything I read painted witches as a peaceful people. Almost pacifists, since they apparently worshiped life and nature and very much like vampires, only ruled over their kind in the smallest sense - usually by punishing those threatening to expose them. The majority had mostly solitary, under-the-radar lifestyles.

Would I even fit in with them? I found nothing to indicate that my being a vampire discounted me from being able to take over... but as Aro said earlier, vampires are violent creatures. Would I be capable of living with a bunch of nature loving hippies? _Doubtful._

I decided to give pondering a break – _Christ _all I fucking did anymore was sit around and think.

I was hungry – and Aro owed me a _real_ walk, complete with a little scumbag slaughter.

It was time to collect.

A/N: _So - _I finally worked the title into the story! _That_ took a lot of literary maneuvering. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget to review! A


	13. Eating out

Chapter 13

I found Aro still sitting in his office – staring broodily into a fire. _How 18__th__ century of him._

I laughed a little at the dejected look on his face... and his head snapped in my direction.

It was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. All ill humor vanished and once again his face was split into it's overly large smile, as always.

"Ready to take that walk we talked about? You totally promised, and we only ended up sitting in the garden for 10 minutes." I put the pleading look back on my face, knowing he was susceptible.

"Just a walk? Or do you want to search out an unsavory meal?" He questioned – like it made a difference. So, I wanted to grab a snack on the way – big deal.

"Both. I could try teleporting us to a city far from here, since I know you don't allow hunting in Volterra." As much as I disliked teleporting – I could _probably_ talk him into running back, and truthfully – I just wanted to know if I could do it with a "passenger."

His expression became intrigued at once – and slightly calculating. _What now?_

"Only if we do not go far – I want the guard to be able to run the distance and meet us there. Despite your powers - you are untested, not only with control in a crowd, but also with fighting. I cannot have an incident occur too far from any assistance."

"Done. Where would you suggest going then, babe?" _Jesus._ The endearments just roll right off my tongue with him. Fighting my embarrassment – I tried to act like I hadn't noticed. Pasting an innocent look of inquiry on my face – I even quirked an eyebrow trying to sell it.

He overlooked my slip, after a quick look of confusion – and replied, "Florence isn't very far. And, it's a large enough city you'll surely find someone who meets your specific _qualifications._"

Nodding, I asked - "Should we do a short test run first? Not only so you can prepare yourself for the incredibly uncomfortable feeling of evaporating – but also so we can be sure I can safely transport us both?"

"Yes, yes – good idea. Let's go to the throne room." He stepped over to me, and I reached out and hugged him.

Willing myself to the throne room – I experienced all the unpleasantness of the last trip – and apparently, Aro did too. He looked vaguely nauseous when he let go.

"What'd you think?" I asked.

"Terribly unpleasant – though I'm sure you already know that. But I seem to be suffering no dire ill effects beyond minor discomfort."

"Good. Shall we ask Jane to meet us there?" I looked around the throne room for the first time noticing it completely empty.

"If you like, but I will also be asking Santiago – since he has very good senses, and will no doubt be able to locate us quickly, if we give him a general idea of where we'll be. Do you think if I showed you a picture of Florence – you could take us to a specific spot?"

Now _that_ was a novel idea. Why didn't I think of it? I was just going to imagine the woods surrounding Florence, and hope for the best. This sounded like a much safer route.

"I can certainly try." He nodded and turned toward the hallway. There was an old photograph on the wall very near the entrance to the throne room – it was an outdoor market, that appeared to be on the outskirts of town. It would probably be deserted now – though I couldn't tell the exact time – it was dark and had been for a while. They really needed more clocks around here...

Breaking me out of my errant musings Aro spoke loud enough for others to hear - "Jane, Santiago – please meet me in the throne room."

Carrying the picture, he turned and went back into the throne room, walking until he reached his actual throne and sitting in it. I stood at the base of the stairs leading up to it, a little awkwardly. It was odd to see him playing the king card, after so much informal interaction.

He must have sensed this, because he reached out for my hand, and when I got close enough to reach it, he pulled me into his lap. I smiled at him a little shyly – as much as I tried to project my confidence all the time, we still really hadn't had much time together – and even less affection. I decided to grasp the opportunity with both hands, though – I curled my legs up, laid my head on his shoulder, and nuzzled his neck with my nose. He put his arm around me, pulling me even closer... and I was a little lost to the world outside of him. _God_ he just smelled so good...

He must have been a little lost in me, too – because the next thing I knew I heard that weird vampire cough sound, and Jane and Santiago were standing pretty close to the throne; looking at us strangely. Well, Jane was smirking and Santiago was dumb struck. I'd forgotten nobody knew of our odd _potential_ relationship besides Marcus and Jane until this moment...

Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag.

Aro didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed, nor did he comment on either of the guard's expressions.

"We are going to Florence for a bit. I would like you both to run there to meet us, on the off chance Isabella succumbs to a newborn fit."

_Newborn fit?_ Really, Aro? Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I rolled my eyes, not caring if he saw me.

"How will the two of you be traveling? Wouldn't you prefer to take the car, and we'll all travel together?" asked Jane.

"No – but you may take the car, if you like. We will be using Isabella's teleportation power." Aro looked really proud of this. I _suppose_ it _was_ something to be proud of – but I really just felt like a freak among freaks.

Santiago nodded and it was Jane's turn to look confused. I ignored it pointing to the picture. "That's where we're going." I tightened my grip on Aro. "Are you ready, hun?"

He'd barely nodded when I focused on the picture in my mind of the market and willed us there. At that moment, I'd have done _anything_ to avoid calling attention to my latest pet name for him. _Sigh._ He was just _so _lovable.

I opened my eyes, and found us sitting on the ground outside the market. Felix was right – the more I used the power, the less creepy it felt. _Thank God._

Aro looked less nauseous than last time, but not much. I gave him a moment to collect himself and stood – looking around at the now closed market.

He looked better in record time, and joined me in looking at the ancient market architecture.

Turning to him, I asked "So, where to?"

He pointed toward a street to the left of our spot and warned, "Try to go as slow as you can."

I nodded and we began walking in that direction.

I took a deep breath in and smelled _everything._ The garbage in a nearby wastebasket, the unwashed scent of a homeless person, the perfectly lovely scent of couple strolling down the opposite side of the street, a hint of recent or future rain, fresh paint, dog shit, cigarette smoke, and a lingering trail of vampire.

Aro looked at me warily, as if he expected me to pounce on the humans – but I was more curious about the vampire trail.

I grabbed his hand, and tried not to be distracted by the tingles - "Do you smell that?"

He took a deep breath, and furrowed his brow. "To what scent are you referring?"

"The vampire scent, of course." Giving him a look of confusion. _What else would I be referring to?_

"Vampire? I don't smell that. In fact, I don't smell much of anything beyond those humans, and the homeless person around the corner." My look of shock was obvious. Were his senses less sharp due to his age? _No wonder he needed so many guards. He's defenseless. _

"Definitely vampire. It smells like cloves and tree bark. Fairly unpleasant, actually." I sniffed again, and could tell the whoever's trail I was following went the same way we were.

"I wonder if it's a nomad," Aro pondered, "they usually smell a bit like the forest, since they spend the majority of their time out of doors."

"Perhaps," I agreed, "should we follow the trail, or avoid them completely?" I asked.

"Definitely avoid. I would prefer not to have to defend myself should someone recognize me and have any lingering animosity toward the Volturi. While we are respected when we have the advantage – which is often – we are usually attacked when the opposite is true."

_That's_ something to look forward to. Misplaced animosity from random nomads. _Awesome._

I pointed left at the next intersection, and we strolled through a somewhat abandoned commercial district.

It was nice to get out of the castle, but the city sucked in it's own way, too. I was already growing weary of monitoring my speed constantly. The last humans we saw gave us a funny look – so I assumed while it _felt_ like I was strolling, I was probably power walking to them.

I tried to slow myself down, until it felt like I was barely shuffling forward. UGH.

Aro gave me a smile at the look of discontent on my face – and squeezed my hand. I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles and smiled back. I couldn't be too displeased... we were _completely_ alone, in an foreign city, taking a walk _just_ like I'd asked.

It was my own fault if my ideas sucked.

I heard some shuffling and a low cry of what _sounded_ like distress coming from a nearly alley way. Finally – a scumbag, praying on some poor victim.

_Ugh – no. _Apparently, I really needed to listen harder. The couple I heard we're having _sex._ My eyes were saucers, and I looked at Aro in shock and revulsion. _In an alley?!_ Gross.

I ran at vampire speed. I couldn't help it, _that_ image was going to stay with me _forever._ No need to linger _listening to it._

Aro followed, laughing loudly. He caught me, and hugged me while shaking with mirth. I guess he hadn't ever witnessed a virgin seeing her first sexual act before – but it must have been _hilarious._ Jerk.

"There is _nothing_ funny about that, Aro! GROSS. In a goddamn alley? What the hell is wrong with people?" I ranted.

He couldn't contain himself long enough to answer, so I huffed and grabbed his hand leading him toward a more lively part of the city.

Surrounded by people, I noticed it was hard to take a breath. There was TOO much to smell. People really used a lot of scented products when they went out at night. The scent of lotion, deodorant, perfume and dryer sheets clung to EVERYONE, in addition to their blood, sweat and breath. It was a little overwhelming. I clung tighter to Aro's hand and he seemed to sense my distress.

"Don't breathe, sweetheart. You don't have to. Just move your shoulders a bit so it looks like your breathing. I'll find us a less popular spot." He whispered in my ear. He put his arm over my shoulder, and steered me toward yet another alley way. As soon as we were out of sight, we both ran at vampire speed to the end, and Aro pulled me left toward a more deserted part of the city.

"Okay – you can breathe now." He told me a scant minute later. Even though I didn't_ have_ to breathe, it felt uncomfortable to hold my breath for very long, I noticed. I gratefully took a deep breath in, ignoring everything I smelled, since there was no scent of vampire.

We walked for a few minutes more in companionable silence – holding hands again. I would sneak glances at him every once in a while, but his face didn't show more than a peaceful slightly content look – until he noticed me glancing... then he started to look a little smug. _Asshole._

I ignored it. And took another deep breath. _Blood._ The heavenly aroma was coming from a short distance away, and when I strained to listen, it sounded like a body was being dragged across the pavement.

I looked at Aro, raising my eyebrow a little. _Surely_ he smelled _that._

He nodded, and we quickened our pace a bit. Turning the corner, the scene we came upon was gory. Even for a vampire.

Blood was spilled all over the pavement, the donor – a young Asian woman – very obviously dead. Her clothes were ripped, and she was mostly naked - she appeared to have been raped, before or during her attack. Three men, who obviously hadn't noticed us – stood around the body and began discussing where to dispose of it.

"Let's just dump it in the sewer, man – we gotta get out of here." One young Hispanic looking guy suggested.

"Yeah, man" agreed his friend, "we already spent too long with her. Gotta hurry up."

Growing disgusted with their exchange – I did the vampire cough. I almost laughed at the way they all turned as one, and seemed to pale. I think one of the guys wanted to add me to the body count of the night, before seeming to take Aro's expression in.

I glanced over, and he looked pissed off. _Ooh – _that's hot, too.

Jesus Christ, Bella – get a fucking grip.

I decided not to play with my food – opening my senses, I didn't hear any heartbeats close by other than the scum in front of us. I looked at Aro and nodded to the guy on the left – he nodded back, and I attacked the two on the right.

Grabbing one with each hand – I broke the neck of the first, and dropped him before hitting the second with a light punch to the temple. He collapsed and I crouched to eat the dead one.

Hmmm... scumbags don't really taste better. His blood had a strange flavor – not nearly as delicious as the Partridge Mom and Dad had. I figured it was drugs, and gulped a little harder - filled with righteous indignation at him getting high and attacking some defenseless girl. All too soon he ran dry – and I turned to his friend. He seemed out for the count, so I glanced over at Aro. He was looking at me lustfully – huh... did my eating another man do it for him? Weird.

I nodded towards the unconscious guy – "You want to share him?" His eyebrows rose at this – like he wasn't used to anyone offering, but he smirked and nodded. Like that turned him on, too. _Freaky._

I grabbed the bozo by the shirt, and dragged him closer to Aro. Aro liked the manhandling, too – I think. He was licking his lips and everything! _Geez._

I sat the guy in between us and we each bit into the sides of his neck at once. He only lasted 2 gulps, but I was satisfied.

Aro dropped him, and I noticed blood dribbling out of the side of his mouth. My response seemed instinctual – _like everything else that had ever gotten me in trouble with him._

I licked the trail, starting at the bottom near his neck and making my way towards his mouth. He groaned _super_ loud – and kissed me. His lips singed mine, and tingles shot through my mouth at the contact.

_Hmmm..._ Aro's taste combined with the flavor of scumbag number three was _delicious._ I couldn't get enough. I sucked on his tongue and he reached out and lifted me in his arms.

I was focused totally on our kiss, so when I felt a wall behind my back, I was a little surprised, but not really. He pressed himself further into me, and I couldn't help but wrap my legs around his waist.

_Oh my GOD._ The feel of his cock pressing into my center, while his mouth sucked at mine – almost sent me into an orgasm, by itself.

The sound of a car backfiring 20 feet away from us – pulled me out of the moment, roughly.

I was panting, and I groaned loudly – burying my face in his neck, pulling on his hair a little. He let out a light laugh at this – and cuddled me closer.

A deep sigh left me, and I sat back a little to look into his face. I gave him a light peck on the lips and dropped my legs.

While I was _starting _to become more comfortable with him, I didn't want to make it awkward – so I spoke casually, pretending I wasn't _completely _turned on, and _totally_ unwilling to do a thing about it.

"So... what do we do with _them_?" Nodding at the now four bodies in need of disposal. I kinda wanted to leave the Chinese girl to be found, but I wasn't sure Aro would be on board with it, now that _all _her attackers were dead. If the police found any physical evidence, it really wasn't for the best that they be looking too closely into the suspicious disappearance of all three of her possible attackers.

He shrugged - "Let's just dump them in the river. We're not far from it here – I don't hear any heartbeats – we could use vampire speed and be there in seconds."

"All right." I agreed easily. I grabbed the victim and a scumbag and looked at him for directions.

He did the same with the remaining two and took off East. I followed and he was right – in seconds we were standing at the bank of the river – and there wasn't a single soul in sight. The river was narrow, and I wondered if we shouldn't weight the bodies, since they had nowhere to float – but Aro was already on it. He dropped his bodies and ran toward an industrial looking building, returning swiftly with a long heavy looking pipe. He stripped the shirt off one of the scumbags and tied it around his neck and the pipe – I repeated his actions with the others. Then, he grabbed the pipe and threw it, with all three guys attached, at least 30 feet out into the water. _Nice one._

They sank quickly and we both turned to look at the poor victim. I really just wanted to sink her in right by the shore, so she would be found quickly – the physical evidence would be washed away in no time at all preventing a search for the missing scum.

In tandem, Aro and I reached for her at the same time. Aro grabbing her head, and me her feet – sliding her into the shallowest part of the river by the bank we were standing on.

I grabbed his hand, and asked "Run back?"

He nodded – and pointed west. We were still in the city center, so we held hands and did our "power walk" pace. All too soon we entered the countryside, and I turned to him wondering about our babysitters.

"Do you have a cell phone? I completely forgot about Jane and Santiago." Apparently, he'd forgotten too – because his eyes got wide, and he looked slightly abashed.

"No, I forgot to bring it. We'll just have to call them when we get back to the castle."

Awww – and now I felt guilty thinking of Jane and Santiago wandering the city looking for us.

_Oh well._ I let it go, quickly. I certainly wasn't going back to look for them, and I wasn't going to rush back to the castle, either.

Not now that I had Aro in my clutches. _Cue evil laugh._

"Race you?" I asked, playfully.

"Ah – if you like," he sounded smug – not good... "I _have _been told my speed is quite impressive, though."

I took off before he finished talking – _yeah, I'm a cheater – _so what?

I decided not to will super speed, and just see if he really _was_ faster than me.

Apparently the tales of his speed were _greatly_ exaggerated – probably to make him feel better.

After about 30 seconds of not seeing him at all when I ran backwards – I started to slow. Where _did_ he go?

Jesus. What if a vindictive nomad found him? The poor man wouldn't even have any warning with his old decrepit senses.

I started to panic, and call out for him. "Aro? Baby? Where are you?"

_Silence._..

I opened all my senses, and willed them to be sharp. I could smell Aro _and another vampire._ I didn't recognize them as a member of the guard and I full on _freaked._

I willed myself to Aro's location – but I wasn't sure if it would work. _And, it didn't._ Shit. The _first_ fucking time my powers failed me, just _had_ to be now.

I willed my super speed, and ran in the direction of his scent. After less than a minute – I realized I could hear Aro talking to someone. It didn't ease my panic, it only incited my anger.

I willed myself invisible, and crouched listening to what was being said. I didn't want knowledge of my powers to get out to some random nomad. It was much better that anyone coming upon me underestimated me.

"What are you doing out here all alone, sire?" The voice sounded off – like the casualness of the question was forced. _Aro was totally right about everyone hating him._

"Fear not, my friend – I am not alone. In fact, someone should be here any second looking for me." Aro replied. He truly sounded unconcerned – _must be too used to being guarded. Poor fool._

I decided now was as good a time as any to make my entrance. I walked, slowly – into the clearing they stood in. And added a little confusion to my voice, calling out - "Master?"

Aro's eyes darkened – I _swear_ he gets off on the strangest shit – old freak.

"Ah, Isabella. I was expecting you. Sorry to worry you, my dear. I was just catching up with an _old friend."_ The emphasis on old friend wasn't lost – I think he really meant old enemy by the glare he was receiving from the guy, but I maintained my innocent, slightly confused facade and willed protection around him.

Immediately, a bubble sprung up around Aro – and while I had hoped my protection wouldn't be obvious, apparently _everyone_ could see it. _Damn._

"A shield, Aro? I haven't seen one in years. How _lovely." _This guy obviously had no positive intentions, but after seeing Aro _was_ protected, he decided to drop the fake friend act.

"Well, I'd best be off. I'll be seeing you again, Aro. _Very soon._" He tried to pull off menacing, but at this point he just looked like a coward – running off at the first hint of opposition.

"I look forward to it" was Aro's genial response. I waited until I heard his footsteps fade into the distance before dropping the shield, and turning to Aro with a look of anger.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked.

"I _did_ warn you that most people would try to kill me if they saw me alone. I'm just glad you realized I wasn't behind you before you made it _all _the way to the castle. Way to make an old man feel inadequate, by the way. First your sense of smell is better than mine, _then_ your faster than me – _and finally_ you're forced to protect me. I think you're going to have to give me a chance to wow you with my sexual skills before long, or I'm going to feel _less than._"

Well – he did know how to inject humor. So he was already working his _skills._

I laughed loudly, forgiving him instantly for some unknown reason – and this time we ran back to the castle, together. Hand in hand.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. A


	14. A traitor in our midst

Chapter 14

Aro and I got back to the castle in no time – it was almost dawn and I stopped at the door to the garden on the main floor, instead of continuing with Aro to his office.

"I think I'll go watch the sunrise. Why don't you join me after you call Jane?" I asked Aro.

He nodded and squeezed my hand a little before letting go and disappearing down the hallway.

I opened the doors, and walked out toward the sitting area I'd used before with Jane. A hushed conversation was taking place behind a tree in the next sitting area over – and I willed invisibility and silence before walking closer.

"I don't know how much longer I can go without him touching me. We have to move _faster!_" It sounded like Chelsea – but I'd only met her once and I wasn't completely sure.

A man's voice answered, someone I knew I'd never met. "We will. Just be calm. We've been working on this _too_ long to have you fuck it up because you can't keep yourself contained. Aro hasn't read you in years. You have finally gained his trust." I crept closer trying to see his face.

Suddenly, I heard Aro call out, "Isabella?"

I turned around, and focused my speed trying to get to him before the two traitors took off.

I didn't let go of the invisibility – I grabbed him and willed it on him, too. Whispering a barely audible "sssh." into his ear. I pointed towards the trees in the direction of the two vampires, hoping he could see me now that he was invisible, too.

He nodded, which was a relief. And we ran towards them – with me willing silence on us both - and dragging his slow ass along.

He tripped a couple times trying to keep up – which would have been funny under _any_ other circumstance, but _sadly _not this one. Finally we made it back to my hiding spot.

The two vampires were gone – and I opened my senses to see where their trails went but it was a blank. I wondered if this was the mystery vampire's power. They were both gone as if they were never there.

I dropped invisibility and silence and turned to Aro. "You have a traitor. You need to read every guard, immediately." I proceeded to tell him everything that I'd heard, and my suspicion that one of the vampires was Chelsea.

His face hardened into a grim mask, but he shook his head, "No, no. It couldn't have been Chelsea. She's been loyal for _many _many years."

I huffed - "You don't have to believe me. Just read all the guard's thoughts and see if anything suspicious stands out. I _told_ you – one of them mentioned not having been read for several years now. It's obvious you've been too lax."

He nodded at that - "Yes, that's true. But I have had most of them with me for centuries. I don't feel it necessary to read them unless they've been sent on a mission. And several of the guards haven't been out in a few years... But I haven't noticed anyone who avoided touching me in recent years..."

"What about people you're not close with? Who spends the least amount of time with you? There are only 12 guards – it's not exactly a long list. It was a woman, that leaves Renata, Chelsea, Corin, Jane, Heidi or Sierra. The only one I can rule out is Jane because she was in Florence."

"I'll read them all," Aro finally conceded. "I'm not really close to any of them besides Jane. And I since I don't seek them out, I can only recall reading them after missions. And, as I said it's been a few years for most of them. Renata was recent – since she acts as my bodyguard during trials. But there was nothing of import to know, other than her romantic involvement with Dominic."

_Dominic? _The rude one? Huh.

I pulled him to sit next to me on the closest bench. I nodded towards the horizon – an we turned together to watch the sunrise – just as I'd planned. The moment was less romantic than I'd hoped for – but Aro put his arm around me, and I snuggled into him and we spent 5 glorious minutes in silence, just enjoying the sight.

Footsteps approached our spot, and I projected protection without thinking. A bubble surrounded us - it was like bluish tinted glass – but it didn't impede any of my senses. I took a deep breath and relaxed when I smelled Jane. I didn't let the protection go, though. We were fucking surrounded by traitors. I wasn't sure I trusted anyone right now. Especially not with Aro's safety...

Aro must have understood my hesitance, because he didn't berate me – just rubbed my shoulder soothingly and ignored Jane's look of disconcertion.

"Master," Jane began - "we picked up the trail of a couple of nomads that seemed to be tracking you two through Florence. Neither Santiago or myself recognized the scent. Did either of you see anyone on your excursion?"

"Isabella smelled one trail – though it must have been old – I couldn't detect anything. But the scent was what? Cloves and tree bark?" He looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded before he continued - "And I had a small interaction with Vlad – the Russian nomad that hates me, but Isabella ran him off with her shield."

Jane nodded - "Yes, we smelled Vlad near the border of the city, but he headed north and we lost him – and Santiago picked up the scent of the clove smelling vampire – he was one of those pursuing you. Along with a wintergreen scented vampire. Is that anyone you've encountered before?"

"Wintergreen mint?" Aro sounded confused, and a little horrified. "Yes – his name was Lucas. He was affiliated with the London coven when he came through here last. I wondered about him. His thoughts were murky and disjointed – like he was slightly insane. I was unable to get a good reading from him, but Alexander the coven leader vouched for him – saying he was the victim of a particularly horrifying crime that had marked his beginning as a vampire in a very negative way. He promised to keep a a close watch for me. And report if he decided to leave them."

He stood before continuing. "Gather everyone in the throne room, Jane. We need to have a reading. Then my brothers and I will convene to discuss all these recent events – when we figure this out I will discuss our next move with you later."

She nodded her confirmation of the order and left without another word. I looked to him, uncertain.

"Do you trust Renata to guard you? Or should I keep protection on you and your brothers until the reading is finished?"

He looked contemplative. "If we have a traitor, I would rather them not know your full powers. It is unfortunate that Felix and Santiago have already witnessed so much – but the full breadth is still unknown to the coven at large, we should keep it that way – so you are not viewed a threat to any plot currently brewing." He turned to look at me – with pleading clear in his eyes. "We should also not display any hint of our relationship until the full story is revealed. So we are not used against one and other."

I disliked the idea of pretending to be strangers – but he was right. I nodded and stood. I decided he should be aware of his weird fetish, if he didn't want others to know.

"Try to control your reaction to my calling you Master, then. It is _obvious_ how much you enjoy it. You were not able to hide the darkening of your eyes from the nomad, earlier."

He winced and looked away – clearly embarrassed. How _adorable._ "Ah, well. I'll do my best." Great. Now it was awkward.

I decided to give him an out - "I'll meet you in the throne room in a moment, _Master."_

His eyes blackened, and he sighed closing them. "It just sounds _so_ erotic when you say it," he explained, as he turned to walk away.

I knew I had to drop the protection – and as his form disappeared into the castle, I let it go. I _needed_ to find a less obvious way of looking out for him, though.

I sat back down and thought through the books I'd read yesterday. What could I do? I sighed, frustrated. It seemed like everything in those books was so _involved._ I wasn't sure what I could pull off in my own offhand way. Could I ward him against harm without any of the materials or spells that went with it? How would I even know if it'd taken effect, if there was no outward sign and I was just _willing_ it to happen? Damn. Damn. Damn.

_Maybe _I'll just keep an eye on him at all times – using invisibility when necessary until this was finished.

I nodded decisively to myself and moved toward the castle doors. Everyone should have had time to gather by now.

Walking into the throne room with no idea what the procedure for a reading was, no idea of my place in the guard and no idea what protocol dictated for a guardsman in _any_ case – was unnerving.

I stood awkwardly by the doors until I noticed everyone standing in a line facing the thrones. I joined at the very end, and began checking to see if everyone was present.

Chelsea, Demetri, Afton and Sierra were the only ones missing. I knew Demetri had left on assignment the same day he met me, but I wasn't sure who, if anyone, accompanied him...

Aro began at the opposite end from me. His face was expressionless, and he picked up Renata's hand without saying anything. You could tell he wanted to comment on whatever he was seeing, but it must not have been relevant because 10 seconds later – he thanked her and excused her. Moving on down the the line – the same thing with each person. No comments were exchanged by anyone. It was eerily quiet – and I wished I could be as impertinent as usual, by cracking a joke.

Finally Aro got to me, and I presented my hand even though we both knew I wouldn't _let_ him read me. I decided to try whispering into his ear like during my change. And will ed silence around us, in case it could be overheard.

"Hear anything juicy yet, _Master?" _It must have worked, because Aro's eyes widened a little and he nodded his head infinitesimally. I could only _imagine_ the secrets he was privy to.

I smirked a little and he gave up the pretense of reading me to turn around and clap his hands.

I was the only one left – so he didn't bother excusing me – " Well, we have much to discuss. Isabella you don't have to remain, if you'd rather not. This might take awhile. You should be very careful of Chelsea if you see her though – she was the only one with no excuse for remaining absent – and no one in the guard had any idea where she was."

I nodded, before asking - "wouldn't you rather I remain for your protection? She could be anywhere, plotting Christ-knows-what, as we speak. And no one else knows enough to suspect her if she is seen in the castle."

"Hmm... go explain things to Jane and Alec – they will keep an eye out for her in the castle, and then return here. Use invisibility so you are not seen coming or going. You are right – treachery should be expected. But I want to seem unprepared. No one but you knows the full details, and it should remain that way for the time being."

"So I should just tell Jane and Alec to be wary of her? Or to send her to you when and if she is spotted?" I didn't want to mess up whatever plan he seemed to have, convoluted though it seemed.

"Have her sent to me. But make sure she is told nothing beyond that. You may explain to Jane and Alec that we are suspicious of her – _only_ if you are sure you cannot be overheard."

"Understood." I willed invisibility right then and there – and added stealth. I wanted to spy a little on the way...

I turned my hearing up to its full potential, and slowly walked the hallways.

I heard a couple conversations, but nothing important. I did however gather some rather intriguing gossip, though. Apparently, Heidi and Felix were an item. _Who knew?_ Their lustful encounter was one I didn't linger over. I prowled around a bit more – but came up empty. I inhaled deeply looking for Jane's scent and located a recent trail headed upstairs.

On my way I overheard a panicked sounding phone call taking place – but I didn't recognize the language. The vowels made the callers voice sound rough and I couldn't tell who it was. I tried smelling their scent, but I was too unfamiliar with most of the guard to recognize them by scent alone. I listened for a few moments, committing what I heard to memory so I could ask Aro later and moved on when I heard the cell phone click shut.

I finally reached what I could only assume was one of the twin's bedrooms.

I forewent knocking and eased the door open as quietly as I could. While my movements were silent, I couldn't project a soundproof barrier – and _everything_ I touched made noise. It was an annoyance I wasn't sure how to fix.

Stealing into the room, I saw the set up was very much like mine – a sitting room, with a bedroom attached. I walked to the bedroom door and heard Jane and Alec talking quietly about the reason for the reading. They were suspicious, but unsure.

I walked in, and lifted my invisibility – while holding my finger to my lips for silence.

They looked startled, but both nodded immediately. I walked over until I was standing inches away from them both and whispered into their ears using my mental voice.

I was still unsure whether or not my words could be overheard by others, so I kept my explanation brief. Explaining the conversation in the garden, and Chelsea's absence in the throne room. I advised them to tell her nothing but the barest facts and direct her to Aro immediately if she was found within the castle walls. I promised to explain more later, and they both nodded.

I willed my invisibility and stealth back – and left from the room as quietly as I entered.

I walked with a quicker pace back to the throne room. Opening my senses I could hear and smell no one close, but I kept the invisibility up until I closed the door.

Exhaling with a hint of relief – I saw the three brothers whole and unmolested – Caius's expression openly shocked. Marcus didn't acknowledge me at all – he looked for all the world like a bored statue – his eyes flicked in my direction for a brief moment, before he resumed his stone like posture. Aro's face was questioning and slightly amazed. I wondered if it was due to my powers, or me _personally._

I greeted them all with a simple hello and turned to Aro - "I overheard a telephone conversation on my way to Jane and Alec. I can repeat it, but I didn't understand the language being used or the identity of the caller - but the tone of voice was low and panicked."

He nodded for me to go on – and I let loose with this: Stăpânul, eu sunt sigur dacă au auzit de mine vorbind pe robul tău mai devreme. Mă tem că am căzut sub suspiciunea și eu nu pot rămâne nici mai mult. Cea mai bună oportunitate de a realiza planul este încă așa cum am informat săptămâna trecută. Eu nu trebuie să fiu aici pentru ca acesta să funcționeze, puterea mea poate fi folosit pe oricine cu o legătură la mine din orice locație. Vă rog. Trebuie să vin la tine acum. Am nevoie de fonduri rămase în loc de obicei pentru a face călătoria. Poți să-l aranja în următoarele două ore? Nu pot rămâne aici mai mult decât atât. Mulțumesc, Stăpânul. Pe curând." (Translation in A/N)

I tried to pronounce it exactly as I had heard, but I knew I failed, by the looks of confusion on their faces. Some of it must have come through, though - the more I continued, the more angry Aro became.

And by the end I swear I thought he would destroy his own castle in a rage.

"Isabella, you must take us to the room you heard this conversation in. Can you grant invisibility to all four of us at once?"

It made sense that we should sneak up on whoever it was – so I tried – and it worked just like earlier in the garden.

Leaving the throne room, I willed stealth for us all, and walked quickly toward the room I'd lingered at earlier.

Aro didn't pause at the door - pushing it open quietly, he walked right in.

It was empty. The closet and drawers were all open, everything looked ransacked as if someone was looking for one specific item and threw the rest around uncaringly.

We had identified the traitor, it seemed. Aro snarled her name, "_Chelsea_."

A/N: Translation: Master, I am unsure if they overheard me speaking to your servant earlier. I fear I have fallen under suspicion and I cannot remain any longer. The best opportunity to carry out the plan is still as I advised last week. I do no need to be here for it to work, my power can be used on anyone with a bond to me from any location. Please. I must come to you now. I require funds left in the usual spot to make the journey. Can you arrange it in the next couple of hours? I cannot remain here longer than that. Thank you, Master. See you soon.

I didn't really feel it was necessary in the story – since it's BPOV and _she_ wasn't given a translation. However, it _will_ explain some of Aro's anger.


	15. Strategy, sex and other awkward moments

A/N: So - there's a LOT of rated M material in this chapter. _You've been warned..._

Chapter 15

Aro finally appeared the vicious leader he was so touted to be – and this, in turn, apparently made Caius the easy going one. _Surprising, I know._

I hadn't spent a great deal of time with the leaders, other than Aro of course – but _now..._ we were all sequestered together in Aro's office.

Demetri had been called back from where ever he'd been. Santiago and Felix had been dispatched to search for traces of Chelsea in the countryside. Aro had spent an hour growling into the phone at the London coven leader over who I had now dubbed Mr. Wintergreen... while Caius, Marcus and I stood around a map laid out on Aro's desk – staring at it like an escape route would simply become apparent if we looked hard enough.

Caius finally got bored of it, and asked me to repeat the telephone conversation again – he wrote it down, and we moved over to the chairs to discuss the possible ramifications.

He translated it for me, and I grew increasingly disturbed. There was obviously a target here in the castle – the "plan" as she so called it, didn't require her presence, and she intended to, as Caius explained, manipulate the bonds of _someone_ – from her now remote location.

An ominous feeling settled over me. The only people important enough to warrant such intricate planning were sitting in the room with me.

Caius had gone on to expound on their bad relationships with _everyone_ in Romania – including but not limited to Stephan and Vladimir, two coven leaders who were without a coven thanks to the Volturi's efforts a great many centuries ago. _And, no surprise – were quite bitter about it._

I tried to wrap my mind around actions like theirs having repercussions _so_ many years later. Eternity was one thing in theory but to actually see it working against them like this was mind-boggling.

Aro finally slammed the receiver of his desk telephone down, and joined the discussion.

"We have nothing to go on from them, either. Alexander says Ethan has always been a little distant, so when he informed him he planned to take an extended hunting trip two weeks ago; Alexander wasn't suspicious. From the tone he used, it seems it would take _a lot_ of suspicion before he would have informed _me_ of anything_._ He treats "poor Ethan" - like a goddamn pet. The bastard has no _inkling_ of the havoc Ethan can cause with his gift. Nor does he realize Ethan's insanity makes him quite sociopathic. He cares for NO ONE_ – _not even his soft spoken sire_."_

Sociopathic? A deep chill went through me imagining a crazy vampire, who cared for nothing and no one bar himself, with a gift that allowed him to erase his scent trail. AND he's after US. _Awesome._

We had been _so _lucky sending Jane and Santiago to Florence, he must have felt comfortable so far from the Volturi Headquarters to risk not using his gift. Otherwise, we would never have realized his involvement, _at all._

Aro continued - "We must go over all we know again. Caius start from the beginning."

"Well, we know we are under close surveillance, because of your incident in Florence. Chelsea has obviously been a part of planning some sort of Romanian coup. She has scouted a target here in the castle, plans to use her gift on someone she already has a bond with, and has taken off to rendezvous with her new Master. We know Chelsea worked alone here in the castle, apart from the three still out on assignment we are assured of everyone else's loyalty. Vlad the nomad's appearance at such a time is suspicious, but we do not know of his allegiances and so cannot be certain if he is a part of the plot or simply still hates you. He is a wild card."

"Who is Chelsea boned with here in the castle? Do we have any idea?" I asked.

Aro looked speculative and replied, "Yes – Marcus, will you tell us?"

Marcus spoke for the first time, _since I had known him, _in a flat voice, "She is bonded to us all one way or another except for Isabella. I see other bonds for her, but I cannot tell to whom they belong, only that they are strong. Stronger than any she has to us here."

_So... back to square one._

"How does her power work? Can she create discord or animosity or simply cut or create ties?"

"The latter – as far as any of us know – though, no one in the Volturi is bonded unwillingly. She has merely strengthened bonds already in place. Sometimes in battles, it helps to have her cut peoples ties of loyalty – but mostly it just causes confusion. If a real tie exists, it will overcome her power quickly."

I sighed, frustrated. Until Demetri could return and track Chelsea, the odds were not good for us getting ahead of any of this. Everything was too uncertain. The target range remained firmly – at least in my mind – to the three kings. But what was the _plan?_

Aro must have sensed my distress – he walked over and picked me up, sitting down in my now empty seat and setting me into his lap.

He spoke to all four of us, "For now, let's focus on fortifying our protections here at the castle. We will have a tour group brought in now, and then allow no one in or out unless it is to scout. No visitors, no meals, and no excursions should limit our accessibility to anyone looking to target us. It is all we can do at the moment. We'll convene again when Santiago or Demetri returns with new information."

Both Caius and Marcus nodded and left. I cuddled Aro closer, and willed _my_ invincibility on him. I focused all my effort on it. And... _Nothing happened._

Fucking A. How was I going to protect him?

Aro appeared oblivious to my internal turmoil. He gave me a brief hug and deposited me into the chair Caius vacated and walked to the door.

I looked at him with annoyance. He better not be trying to leave me here while he went off and did god-knows-what.

He never moved beyond the threshold, though.

"Heidi," he called out. _Ah._ Feeding time then.

She materialized at the doorstep, in moments. "Yes, Master?" _Christ. _Did anyone else find the whole "master" thing creepy? Or was it _just_ me?

"Bring in a tour group – as large as you can. We will all need to feed today, because we are imposing isolation in the next few days to come."

She appeared completely unfazed with the order – yet _another_ thing I wondered about. Was it that common for the guard to be restricted to the castle grounds? Or were they all just mindless drones that _never_ asked questions?

Heidi had nodded and left – while I continued to speculate.

Aro came back over to me, choosing this time to sit across from me in the other recliner.

"I'm afraid, you will find very few unsavory types take the tour through the castle. And you _will _have to feed with us. I cannot take the chance of your being weak if we should have an altercation."

I nodded – caring very little for the innocent lives I would have to take. I wondered if that was a vampire thing. No one else seemed stricken with worry for the lives they took, and I now registered that it could just be laziness. It had been _difficult_ to find someone in the act of committing a crime I found worthy of death, even in a large city like Florence. And, not for nothing, but the criminals addicted to drugs hadn't tasted nearly as good as the innocent tourist family had. I decided to suspend my moral debate on the subject, until I was back in a position to be choosy.

So… what to do in the mean time...

I looked over at Aro – who seemed to be struggling with the same debate I was…

Fuck it.

I stood and climbed into his lap, and decided if there was ever a better moment for a make out session – I had never seen it.

Aro was on the same page, because without any warning he attached his lips to mine. The ever-present tingles were familiar now, and spurred me to touch his skin everywhere I could reach. I ran my hands over his shoulders and up his neck, tangling them into his hair, and deepened the kiss. I needed to taste him.

_Hmmm…_ it seemed to get better every time. Motherfucking Christmas. My thoughts seemed to short circuit each time I tasted it. Like I was compelled to continue without thought.

An instinctual part of me – the vampire part, no doubt – wanted _more_ from him. It wanted to taste him _everywhere, _to take him inside of me – to BITE him.

_That_ thought shocked me enough to pull me out of my lust-fueled daze.

"Aro?" I gasped. He started sucking and licking on my neck, now that my mouth was busy. _Obviously_ in no mood to stop.

"Huh?" He grunted out – between licks.

"How do we bond as mates? Is it a bite?" I ended my question with a moan, when _he_ bit _me._ Not enough to break the skin, but I could feel the edges of his razor sharp teeth, and it set me on _fire._

"Uh huh. Venom exchange." He got out – before reclaiming my mouth in another kiss.

Hmmm… was the last thought I had. I pressed myself against him harder, and gave myself over to my instincts, which were screaming… _take him_.

When Aro started to pull off my shirt/dress – it didn't faze me. I was _so_ ready to feel more of his skin - I even reciprocated. Pulling him free of his suit jacket, and tearing the front of his shirt open.

_Oh my GOD_ – they weren't tingles anymore. It was a wave of sensation, boiling every one of my nerves in bliss. It was _warm, _and the heat just got hotter as we touched.

I sucked at his tongue, frantically. Almost overwhelmed by what I was feeling. Grinding down into his lap – I thought I might explode with want if we didn't do _something _to relieve the pressure.

He ran his palms over my breasts, and teased my hard nipples with his thumbs, earning a loud curse from me.

"_Fuck." _I bit him in my passion, not hard enough to bite through the skin – but it left the impression of my teeth – and the sight of the mark spurred me on.

My teeth ached I wanted to taste his venom so badly. So I kissed him to distract myself, and he ripped my bra open, pushing the straps off my shoulders leaving me completely bare from the waist up.

He leaned back a little to look at my naked form, and I used the opportunity to divest him of the remains of his shirt.

_Yum._ His body was so chiseled and perfect.

I pressed myself against him, and the feeling of my nipples rasping against his chest almost overloaded me again. Each new sensation with him was _SO damn good._

A knock at the door caused me to growl loudly, I whispered in Aro's ear – "Fuck them. Let me take us to my room, baby." I nibbled on the same ear, just a little – to help convince him.

Aro sounded anguished when he said, "It's probably the tour group. We need to feed."

"We'll go out later," I wheedled, "I'll make us invisible and scentless. No one will _ever_ know."

I dragged my teeth across his neck – and that was _it._ He moaned out a yes – and it was all the confirmation I needed.

I willed us to my bed, and we landed there in a graceless heap of limbs. This time I was so overcome with desire, the discomfort of travel was minimal – and Aro didn't appear effected by it at all.

He rolled right over on top of me, pressing the entire length of his body against mine. And my thoughts short circuited again.

I wanted him so much, I trembled a little.

He kissed me again, and his lips felt so warm on mine – it was a little shocking. I sucked his bottom lip in my mouth, and he groaned – grabbing my legs, and pushing them open, so he could grind into me.

I shrieked a little – the sensation of him in between my legs very powerful, so much so - I could feel myself getting so wet it leaked out dampening my panties.

Aro must have smelled it, because he snarled and in one fluid movement – _shredded_ my jeans and panties all at once.

I was a _little _taken aback, but no less turned on – and it was my turn to shred his pants. The material parted like tissue paper, and I gazed up at his completely naked form for the first time.

_Wow._ Virginal nerves never overtook me – I could feel a little trepidation when I looked at his _surely _overlarge cock, but my instincts took over too much to do much more than moan at the sight of it, and writhe on the bed a little.

His fingers touched my vagina for the first time, and I almost came up off the bed in reaction.

Also for the first time in my vampiric life – I hissed. Followed quickly by a moan, and Aro slid a finger inside me.

"Ummm… yes. More, baby." At my encouragement, he put another finger in me, pushing them in and out and stretching my tight virgin channel.

It hurt a little, but the pain was overshadowed by my enormous need to fuck.

"Now, now… _now." _I must have looked crazy doing my chant, writhing around under his assault, but he didn't laugh. In fact, now _he_ looked a little nervous.

He removed his fingers, and laid his body back over mine – whispering in my ear, "It will hurt a bit, darling. Probably more than it would have if you were human…"

His voiced trailed off and I felt him lining our bodies up – the tip of him pressing against my entrance.

_Yes. Now. _

He pushed inside me and the pain of his actions finally registered. All my desire fled, and all I could feel was burning agony.

I pushed at his shoulders trying to stop him – "No. Ow. That hurts. Stop."

"Sssh," he cooed at me. I gave him an incredulous look.

"It will only hurt for a moment. This was inevitable, sweetheart. Just relax – it will soon pass."

It didn't seem to be passing. If anything it was getting worse the further in he pushed.

OW. Ow. _Ow._

What the fuck? Where did all the pleasure go?

A whole minute passed, and the pain hadn't abated at all. I finally decided _he_ might as well enjoy this.

"Try to move, babe. Maybe it'll make it feel better." I encouraged him.

He leaned back on his knees, and pulled out slowly, as he pushed it back in; he rubbed his fingers over my clit.

I gasped a little – the mixture of the pleasure and pain seemed to _really _do it for me.

Aro did it repeatedly and again – I was back to being mindless. I clutched at his shoulders, and pulled him forward to kiss. Moaning into his mouth a little at every thrust.

I started to feel like I would come – and I whined. It was a strange sound to hear exit my mouth, but it was involuntary and I too overcome to care.

My teeth started to ache more and more the closer I got to orgasm, and I felt a deep need to bite. All of my instincts demanded it. I wanted to warn Aro – I tried to speak, but the second it felt like I made the choice to say something – I was hit by nirvana.

Waves of pleasure washed over me – pulses of bliss – my teeth connected with something, and the most delicious flavor touched my taste buds. My body was clenching and I was swallowing more and more of the incredible taste. I sucked whatever was in my mouth harder and it felt like a shower of sparks touched my skin all over - before darkness descended over my vision.

When I came to – my body was wrapped completely around Aro's; my teeth were buried in his shoulder, and his were in my neck.

_Venom exchange._ The enormity of what happened crashed over me like a tsunami. So much for making an informed decision.

I carefully removed my teeth, and licked the bite – trying to soothe his skin a bit. I could feel him doing the same to my bite mark and I sighed.

_Well, shit._ Way to add a whole lotta _extra _awkwardness to the already tense after sex moment, Bella.

I felt something strange pushing at the edge of my mind. I willed it to come forward, and it was _happiness?_ What the fuck? Have I finally lost my mind?

_Contentment. Euphoria. Amusement._ They were all pushing their way into my consciousness now. It didn't feel like _my_ emotions, though. All I felt was confusion. Were they? _No… fucking….way. Were they – Aro's emotions?_

_Ah fuck. _Goddamn bonding.

I just _knew_ something about this was going to screw me over. It was WAY too good to be real. Sexy mate? Check. Hot sex? Check. All powerful and rich? Check. Feels the emotions of the most confused and private being on the face of the planet? Fucking Check.

Because, if I felt _his – _no doubt he was feeling _mine._ Shit. I should probably think content thoughts like he was; to balance out the angst I am sure he could feel.

Damn. This was going to suck…

A/N: So? What'd everyone think? Lemon writing is much harder than I thought it would be. This chapter took HOURS to write. So... I'd really appreciate feedback. Thanks for reading! A


	16. Loyalty - the hot commodity

Chapter 16

I wasn't sure awkward accurately described my current predicament – Aro and I hadn't spoken a single word to one and other since what I was now calling "the incident."

The feeling each other's emotions shit was making talking pretty unnecessary – but I felt like I was communicating in a whole new _seriously_ invasive way.

I almost felt violated in the sense that he was privy to even my most obscure feelings. He now knew _just_ how sexy I found him, that I was uncomfortable with nudity – even his; that I was uncertain and suspicious of his feelings on our mating, _and _that I was extremely self-conscious and insecure.

Not _all_ things I would have told him… well, _ever._

He on the other hand – was my polar opposite. He was completely comfortable with himself, unabashed about his nudity, and exceptionally confident. _About_ _what_ I was not too sure…

Oh, and he totally _adored_ me.

Yeah – that one caught me by surprise, too. Fucking A.

I had to get out of this intimate setting before I blew a gasket. So – I decided to completely ignore our new situation, and act as if nothing happened.

"Well… I'm going to grab a shower. I'd offer to take you to your room, but I've got no idea where it is… so. Yeah. I'm sure there's something in that _ridiculous_ closet you can wear, though."

Aro nodded, "I'm sure there is. You go ahead – I'll wait here for you to finish."

He totally realized my predicament with the shreds of my clothes tossed all around the room, and a sheet – I was _sharing with him_ – my only covering.

He smiled _really_ big when he felt my embarrassment – and put his hand dramatically over his eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh and smack him, before using every bit of speed I possessed to make it to the bathroom.

He was still laying there waiting when I emerged, and I could feel his mischievous emotions before he threw off the sheet and strode naked to the bathroom – leaving the door _wide-open _while he showered.

I know he could feel my shock and _desire_ – and his amusement skyrocketed. Muttering "jerk" under my breath, I rushed to the closet. I needed to be dressed before he came out.

I grabbed the first thing that looked like it would fit me – it ended up being a black tea length dress with long sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline. It was actually _very_ pretty, but I never would have fit into it before my change – so I don't even remember noticing it the last time I looked for clothes.

I threw on my trusty black sandals – even though they looked a little worse for wear. I _had_ gone running through the forest in them…

But there was no way I was going to try the high heels I found in the closet. _Hell no._

Aro searched and seemed to find one of his own suits; it was so similar to what I always saw him in.

I rolled my eyes – and we departed. I briefly wondered if we were going to tell anyone about our relationship or if we should continue acting like strangers… when Aro grabbed my hand and squeezed it. What used to be tingles was now a soft warmth; it felt very much like cradling a warm cup of coffee. It was _extremely_ comforting. And therefore – off putting. For me at least.

Aro only emitted satisfaction.

He didn't let go, even when we got to the throne room. And I had my answer. Empathy _can _have its benefits, I suppose.

Didn't make the inevitable _coming_ out with it – any less weird, though.

_Jesus_ he just split with Sulpicia less than a week ago.

I still needed to find out where _exactly_ she was… and be certain of their divorce, and her banishment. Seemed harsh – but what woman wanted their boyfriend's ex hanging around?

Aro gave me a sharp look at my mistrustful feelings, but I shrugged and he decided not to pursue it.

Marcus was already waiting. I wondered why he _ever_ left – if he was going to act like a gargoyle all the time, might as well just stay in one place.

He did his bored eye flick – but for the first time, he looked _again. _His eyes got very wide, and he _smiled_ like a lunatic.

He stood up, walking over to Aro – and grasped his hand, enthusiastically.

"Congratulations on your mating, you two."

He spoke to me – Aro was a little lost in whatever he was seeing of Marcus's thoughts. I opened my mouth to reply, when all of a sudden I was slammed with depression, apathy, anxiety, and paranoia. _What the fuck?_

I remained stoic – but I knew Aro could feel my concern. He looked at me and shook his head a little. And Marcus inexplicably grinned – he must have known about the empathy.

For the first time, I looked around and noticed a few members of the guard in the room.

All of them wore shocked, incredulous expressions. I wasn't sure if it was because of Aro and I or because of Marcus's sudden zest.

_Probably_ _Marcus._ It was bigger news than our mating – and that was saying something.

Aro patted Marcus on the shoulder – reclaimed my hand and pulled me along as he walked to his throne. He let go when he sat down, and sent me a feeling of _entreaty?_ While patting the arm.

Does he want me to sit on the arm of his chair?

I guess so – because he kept it up. I sent him my resignation – and we settled in.

Jane was looking at me with a big smirk. I decided _she_ needed to feel my annoyance. A look of confusion ran across her face – and it was _my_ turn to smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at me a little – and stepped closer. Addressing all of us, she began. "Masters, _mistress_ –" the amount of annoyance I was projecting shot out of me like a volcano, and Jane full on smiled and coughed out a light laugh before continuing in a somewhat grim tone, "Felix and Santiago have yet to report in. They are not answering their phones, and we can only suspect the worst has happened."

Concern and sadness were reflected in both Aro and I – and we shared a glance, before looking back at Jane.

"Should we begin the search for them now?" She asked.

Aro was decisive – "No. We will wait for Demetri - he will be able to tell us the general location of all three. Call him for an estimate on his arrival, and ask him what he's picking up from the three of them."

"I tried to reach him already, Master. His phone is going straight to voicemail. He should have arrived back from Russia, already. He departed yesterday, according to Zeke. Without any idea what's keeping him, we are hesitant to wait for him any longer."

Marcus _finally_ appeared interested. "I cannot detect a bond between Demetri, Felix or Santiago for any member of the Volturi anymore. They've been severed."

Just then Caius appeared, walking through the main doorway. I thought about this new issue – and it occurred to me, that _this _was Chelsea's plan all along. A protective bubble shot out over Aro, Marcus and Caius – I hissed a little.

"What about everyone _else_ here?" My paranoia shot out, and I realized I was still projecting when Jane started looking at me_ – _as if _I_ was a traitor.

I shut it off – and reached out for Aro's hand. He gave it to me automatically, and the warmth soothed my frazzled nerves.

Didn't Aro say that if a person had a _real _tie – Chelsea's power was only effective for a short time?

Was actual loyalty from the guard really _that_ weak?

It was disheartening to realize that if this kept up – there might be only a few guards left.

Marcus looked speculative – he finally replied, "There are only a few strong bonds left – whatever she did to strengthen them is gone now. It looks like most of these bonds are weak enough to be broken completely. If such a thing happened to Demetri, Felix or Santiago while out on assignment – they would have simply walked away without thought. Their bonds give them a _reason _to continue doing their job. Without them, they would wander wondering why they worked for you, who were you to give them orders? Etcetera."

Horror washed over me as the plan cemented in my mind. Aro said he was only close with Jane, Marcus did not appear to have _any_ friendships, and Caius was only likeable when Aro was pissed off.

_Great._ I started looking at the members of the guard that were in the room. Heidi appeared expressionless, Alec looked concerned, Dominic wore what I could only class as a sneer, Renata looked scared, and Corin was apathetic. _Not good._

I wanted to hear the thoughts of the guards. I willed them to be heard. And, I started hearing multiple voices.

I cut it off and tried again – focusing on a single guard. Heidi.

"_wonder how much money I've got saved now? Maybe I could afford the two bedroom condo in Prague I was looking at…"_

Then, Dominic – "_look at them. Freaked out that their minions will think for themselves. Pathetic."_

I growled a little at him, and focused on the next – Renata.

"_I can't leave. I don't know anyone but the Volturi. What will happen if my ties are cut? What will I do by myself?"_

Then, Corin – "_Why does the queen seem concerned? If she is as powerful as rumored – they won't even need a guard anymore. Let her handle this."_

Like I was capable of that…

I wasn't worried about Alec, but I checked anyway – "_My tie to Jane is enough to keep me here. Regardless of how I feel for the rest. I know she loves Aro too much to leave."_

What's this? _Loves_ Aro? What the fuck does that mean?

I focused on Jane with a new fervor. _"Mine and Alec's powers will be enough to subdue if Bella can work offense. I'm sure there's a way we can work this out."_

Finally, someone feeling positive. Fucking A. It just _had_ to be my rival for Aro's affections. _That's my fucking luck in a nutshell, right there._

I looked to Aro. "We need to speak privately with Marcus and Caius."

He nodded and dismissed the guard saying, "Fear not, dear ones. We will figure this out. All of you will be reconvened here shortly to discuss our plan of attack."

There didn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm from them – but they dutifully filed out, leaving the four of us alone. _Thank God,_ this room was soundproof.

I hopped off Aro's chair, and paced in front of the dais – explaining all that I'd heard.

Or essentially - how fucked we were.

The entire guard might as well be disbanded now – they cared _so_ little, I didn't even want them watching my back during a fight.

I finally worked myself up to asking Aro the ultimate question. "Should I call my mother and see if the witches will help?"

Despite the fact that we had little to go on when it came to _knowing_ my mother to be queen of the witches. I felt confident she was _probably_ affiliated with them, if nothing else. Exposing myself to her as a vampire would do little in the way of harm. She, herself, was bound to silence as a member of the supernatural community.

I relayed that to Aro, as well.

There was silence while the three of them thought about it.

They seemed to reach a consensus without talking to one and other at all. _Eerie._

"We cannot rely on _our_ allies, if Chelsea is out there cutting the bonds we have with everyone she's ever met. I had her strengthen ties to each person that came before the Volturi in her time here. That is nearly every coven and nomad in the Western world. We could be in much more trouble if she is somehow able to foster loyalty to _her_ or the Romanian's she's working with – _instead _of us. Outside assistance is the _only_ option at this point."

Both Marcus and Caius nodded – and I asked for a cell phone.

Caius produced one out of the pocket of his robe and I dialed with trembling fingers – the one phone number I never thought I would call again.

It rang at least four times before it was answered – and it occurred to me that it was probably some ungodly hour in Phoenix right now.

I was too frozen to speak, until I felt Aro put his hand on my shoulder and felt his confidence.

"Mom?"

"_**Bella?"**_

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. A


	17. My Mother - Queen of the Witches

Chapter 17

I froze. My whole body was frozen solid, _again_. My mother was talking to me.

Fucking snap out of it, Bella!

"Ah. Hey Mom." That was really _too_ casual after my death had been faked. Shit. She probably just got back from the funeral.

I rubbed my hand over my face - I forgot _all_ about my funeral. How scary would it be to get a call from your daughter _days_ after you buried her?

"Bella? Is that you, honey? Your voice sounds different."

"Ah. Yeah – it's me, Mom. Definitely me." Did I apologize for faking my death? Was it something an "I'm sorry" fixed? Nah. Just get to the point, already.

"So... ah, quick question for you. You wouldn't happen to be or know the Queen of the Witches, would you?"

Yeah – that was too much. I winced, and looked at Aro with wide eyes. I just knew I'd totally fucked this up.

He gave me an encouraging smile, but I could _feel_ the wince he was holding in. Way to be two faced, Aro.

I frowned at him and waited _forever_ for a response from the now silent telephone.

I looked at the screen to make sure my call was still connected – and it was... so... huh.

"Mom? You still there?"

"What do you know about the Queen of Witches, Bella?" Her voice lost all it's emotion, and seemed cold to me. Ouch. This was going _way_ worse than I imagined it.

"Well... it's sort of a long story. But the short version is that I'm aware of my heritage and I found a book prophesizing you to the be the next Queen. And, I'm in a small bind that I could really use the help of the witches for. I'm hoping you can direct me." That was good – if a tad impersonal. _Small bind._ Ha. More like a cataclysmic disaster.

"I need to be sure of whom I'm speaking to. Can you video chat with me?"

I raised my eyebrows at Aro... _surely_ somewhere in this castle was a computer with internet... _right?_

He nodded.

"Yes – I can arrange that. I'll don't think I should get on my old Skype account though. Just tell me what account you're using and give me a few minutes to get it set up."

"Okay. I'm childeofnature71 – that's child with an e. Just send me a message. I'm logging in now."

"Okay, Mom. See you in a minute."

I hung up the phone – and looked at Aro with panic clear on my face. She never acknowledged being in the coven... and now she's going to _see_ me. My change will be obvious.

This was _obviously_ a BIG mistake.

Aro reached out and hugged me. "It'll be fine, Isabella. I've got some contact lenses you can use to mask your eyes. You only look a little paler than before. And, we already have proof positive that she _is_ in fact a witch – whether or not she chooses to admit it. Your powers could only have manifested so strongly if you were a direct descendant of a witch, or two."

I sighed. He was right, of course. What the hell was I thinking?

_That's right_. I was panicking over seeing my mother in a matter of minutes.

"Where's the computer? I didn't see one in your office." I asked – looking at him curiously.

"I have one, of course. It's in the bottom of my desk. It seems impossible to live without one, in this day and age. I don't use it for much – but I'm sure it will suit your needs adequately."

Adequately? Was it like 15 years old, or something? Geez. I could only _imagine _what sort of relic he'd consider _adequate._

"Okay. Let's go then. Marcus? Caius? Are you two coming?" I didn't like the idea of splitting up _at all_ after today.

"I'm coming," answered Caius, "the look on your face was pure comedy. I can't _wait_ to see the rest of this meeting." _Awesome. At least I'm entertaining someone. _

"Marcus?" I looked over at him. He looked bored, as usual.

"I think I'll retire to my office. I've had enough excitement today." Yeah. This must be overwhelming for someone so used to doing _nothing._

"Is your office at least close to Aro's? I think the guard might think twice in their current state of mind, before going out of their way for _anyone. _I'm worried about you being alone and vulnerable."

He smiled a little – and it looked as it had last time. Like his face might crack with the strain. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."

I knew Aro could feel my exasperation. He finally spoke up - "We'll be by to check back with you after the call. Just stay in your office. Isabella's right. The guards are disturbingly apathetic toward the state of our well being, it seems."

Marcus nodded, and left. Soundlessly – he was like a wraith – a shell of a man. I felt sad just looking at him.

Apparently, Aro did too – but it was 20 times worse for him. I grabbed his hand, and rubbed it soothingly.

He sighed and turned toward his office, towing me along – with Caius following.

When we arrived, I stared at his enormous desk. Really. It still seemed like too much.

Aro shook his head, and responded to my feelings - "Yes, I do need a desk this big. I promise."

I laughed, and he pulled open one of the cavernous drawers on the bottom removing a fairly new lap top.

He chuckled quietly at my shock. "Did you expect me to use an abacus for christsakes? I'm a vampire _king_. I must have all the new gadgets. Jane bought this for me a few short months ago."

_Jane_, again. She of the misplaced affection. I couldn't get Alec's words out of my head.

"What's that? I thought you liked Jane." He asked while booting up the computer. I was a little amazed at his savvy.

"I do like Jane," I responded, vaguely. And, I think she likes me, too – but not _nearly _as much as she _loves _you.

"Hmmm..." he responded, noncommittally. Obviously feeling my jealousy.

I looked over at Caius and he looked like he was watching a soap opera. Like this was the most entertainment he'd had in _ages._

I thought about that for a minute. It might well have been. Things around here could probably be _very_ boring.

"Here," Aro handed me the computer, "I have my Skype logged in already. You just have to press this to start the conversation."

I looked at the screen and choked with mirth. _Seriously?_ His screen name was KingAro987BC

I couldn't hold it in. I cackled. _Is that his real birth year?_

"Was plain old 'KingAro' taken, or something? What _possessed _you to add your birth year?" I choked out between giggles.

"What?" Aro appeared genuinely confused, "Everyone adds their birth year to _theirs._ Your mother has 71 at the end of hers. Just because I was born in the BC era doesn't mean I should be excluded."

I laughed some more. _Poor Aro _trying to fit in with the popular crowd.

Shit. I almost forgot the contacts. I shook my head - "Where are the contacts?"

Aro produced a set from _yet another_ drawer in his monstrous desk.

I popped them in, blinking over and over again before finally accepting that they wouldn't become anymore comfortable _or_ clear.

"How long will these last?" I asked.

"Maybe an hour. Best hurry, though – it might be less." _Excellent._

"Okay. Let's get it over with then." I said clicking the button to connect.

My mother's face appeared on the screen – and she looked horrified when she saw me. _Not the reaction I was hoping for._

"Ah. Mom are you okay?" This seemed to make it worse. She started crying hysterically.

"Jesus. Calm down, will you? I'm fine. Everything is fine. Ssshh."

I looked over at Aro with a clear question on my face. Just _what_ sort of "painless" death did he give me to get _this_ sort of reaction?

He tried to look innocent – but I could feel the undercurrent of shame.

_Perfect._ It was something really terrible, then.

"Mom? I'm really sorry. I'm not entirely sure," I made sure to glare at Aro when I said this, "what you were told. But, obviously – none of that happened. I'm doing really well, actually. Everything's going really great."

I might have been exaggerating a little _too_ much.

And I definitely don't think this was the correct thing to say – because suddenly she wasn't heartbroken anymore – she was _livid_.

"Why would your father and I be told you broke your neck trying to escape a burning building if '_everything is great'? _What's really going on here, young lady?"

Oooh... pulling out the "young lady" was serious. My mother hadn't called me that since I broke her priceless heirloom china set – _while dancing to my iPod_. Yeah – not a stellar moment.

"Well... that's the thing. I can't really tell you my story, until you answer my questions, Mom. You have to answer me honestly first – and then I'll tell you all of it, okay?" I wheedled. She really needed to admit to being the Queen of Witches already.

"Fine. But I expect to hear _everything. _Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Mom. All of it, I swear." I gave her the pleading look that worked so well on Aro – but she seemed unfazed. _Figures._

"Okay, honey. Go ahead – what do you want to know?" My mom asked.

"Are you the Queen or do you know her?" I asked, bluntly.

"I'm the current Queen of Witches. I took over the job 7 years ago when we moved to Phoenix." She was _pretty blasé_ about being a fucking Queen. Way to retain your humility, Mom.

"Good. Then, you should already recognize that I'm a vampire." I said just as bluntly.

She sputtered a little. I did her a favor and took out my contacts. They were annoying me, anyway.

She gasped at my red eyes. I couldn't blame her – it was my reaction, too.

"Oh, Bella. I understand now. But are you really using King Aro's computer? Or is that some weirdos idea of a joke? I mean – 987BC is a little _too_ much, isn't it?"

I turned the computer towards Aro – and my mother gasped again.

"Jesus Christ, it's King Aro."

I turned the computer back around - "Yeah. Fucking A, huh?"

"Bella! Language. Geez." She had the "mom" look going on and _everything._

"Really, Mom? I'm a goddamn vampire. When will I _finally_ be allowed to cuss?" I asked incredulously.

"When I'm dead, I think. Yeah – let's institute that rule, right now. When I'm gone, you can go ahead and cuss up a storm." She looked serious, too.

"Okay, Mom." I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

"So... what do you need from the witches, honey? Are you using your powers? Are you having trouble or something?"

"Not really. In fact, my powers seem to be the only thing that's working out. It's actually a Volturi problem, Mom. We're experiencing a little _internal _drama right now. One of the vampire guards is cutting all the Volturi Allies and Guard ties of loyalty. There's only like 3 of us to protect the Kings. I need help. Like reinforcements. How many witches are in your coven?"

"Wait, wait, wait. _You're_ protecting the kings?" She asked looking all sorts of impressed.

"Ah, well." _Just say it, Bella. "_I'm sort of mated to Aro."

"What?" Her screech could surely be heard in all of Italy. Really, is it _that_ inconceivable?

"Yeah." I lifted my hair and showed her my mating mark. "It's official. I can feel his emotions and _everything."_

"Wow. That's _so _great, baby. Is he good in the sack? I bet he is... all those years of working it. Hey – could you turn the camera around again? I need to see him one more time." I was _so_ embarrassed. There was _no way_ I was inflicting her sexual perusal on Aro.

"Hell no, Mom. Geez. Tone it down, will you? He can hear you, for god-sake."

Aro's amusement was so vast, _I_ wanted to smile. But, I managed to glare at him instead.

"Please, baby? I'll bring some witches and help you and everything. I just need a visual."

I slapped my face with my palm, and I could feel Aro turning the computer. _Great._ Here it comes.

"Oh, wow. Yeah. Hmmm... you're _so _good looking." Dramatic sigh. "Can I take a picture with this thing?"

I grabbed the computer back.

"No pictures, damn it. Haven't you embarrassed me enough, Mom? Just come to Italy. You can look at him _all_ you want."

"Okay. Okay. Italy, huh? _Nice._ Does he have a castle and everything? You know, the witches aren't like that for royalty. Do you know they offered me a 3 bedroom _trailer_ when I got the job? A trailer. Can you believe it? A Queen in a freaking trailer? _How shameful._"

I had to cut her off before she went on forever. Not that it wasn't messed up. _A fucking trailer?_

"Yes, Mom. It's tragic. We _are_ actually in a castle in Volterra. And so will you be when you get here. Just fly into Florence and we'll come get you."

"All right, baby. I'm not sure how I'll explain this to the coven, but I'll be there with at least a few of them as soon as I can. Can I call that phone we spoke on earlier when I have my travel arrangements made?"

I looked at Caius questioningly. He nodded with _barely_ suppressed glee on his face. He was _way_ _too_ happy about this.

"Yeah, Mom. Just call that number. It's Caius's – one of the other Volturi Kings."

"King_s_? Really? Is he single?"

"MOM. _Please_ stop. He can totally hear you." Caius used this opportunity to get behind me and wave at the camera. _Really? _Who _was _this entirely too jovial Caius and where did the real one go?

"Oh, my. He's really handsome, too. Wow. I _really_ need to book those tickets..."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom – you do. The situation here is deteriorating fast. We need you to be here as soon as possible."

She _finally_ looked serious. "Okay, Bella. I'll be there tomorrow. Don't you worry about a thing. We'll figure it out."

"Good." I exhaled in relief. "See you soon then, Mom. I love you."

She looked a little broken up - "I love you too, Bella. See you soon."

The connection ended.

I looked over at Aro. He gave me a funny look before saying, "That went well, I think."

"Yeah. It went awesome. Now – tell me who's brilliant idea it was to have me die from a broken neck in a burning building? How is _that _considered the 'most painless death possible'?"

A/N: As usual, I appreciate everyone reading! Please review. A


	18. Something wicked this way comes

Chapter 18

Caius finally admitted the idea for my fake death was his – rationalizing that he _always_ broke the necks of his victims, and they did not _seem _to feel any pain.

The burning building part was just so they didn't have to search for a replacement body for me. _Lazy assholes._

He finally stalled my vicious berating at the _needless_ angst he forced on my family and loved ones – by reminding me of our promise to check on Marcus.

"Fine – but this isn't over." I warned him.

Caius was muttering under his breath, but I wasn't listening – deliberately.

I looked to Aro with a raised brow – were we doing this or not?

He must have felt my impatience. "Yes, yes – let's go."

Leaving his office, we had to travel to an entirely separate wing of the castle to get to Marcus's office, and on the way, I started to smell something that sent trepidation all through me.

It smelled like burnt sugar. It wasn't something I had ever encountered before, and I looked at Aro questioningly. Didn't he smell it yet?

The answer was decidedly no – because he looked back at me with raised eyebrows. I pointed to my nose and sped up. I would have run flat out, but I didn't know where our destination was. I vowed then and there to familiarize myself with the entire castle, so I could teleport wherever I needed to go, if the situation called for it.

Aro must have finally started smelling what I was – because he growled and pushed himself faster.

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop in front of a door at the end of the East Wing. His hand trembled a little when he reached for the handle, and I felt his horror, anxiety, pain and anger.

The fireplace was smoldering and Marcus was nowhere to be seen.

I got closer to the now dying blaze and saw – _sparkly ashes?_

Aro _roared_ – loud and long. And I heard foot steps headed quickly in our direction.

Was this _Marcus?_

As suddenly as Aro began, he stopped – he was now frozen. His face a mixture of horror and disbelief.

However, his _emotions_ – the despair, anger and hate were so strong, it caused me to stumble. I walked over to him warily, and placed my hand on the side of his face.

"Is it Marcus?" I asked. The echo of pain was confirmation enough, but he nodded, anyway.

Footsteps finally halted outside of the room, and my shield shot out to cover us.

Caius and Jane entered – and both looked horrorstricken at the sight of the ashes in the fireplace.

I opened up my senses and quickly took a deep breath to see if I could identify the intruder, but I couldn't smell any very recent scents except Marcus's.

I turned to Aro - "I don't smell anyone other than Marcus in here. Could this have been Mr. Wintergreen?"

I looked at Caius and Jane - "Did you two see any of the other Guards on your way here? Surely, someone must have noticed _something."_

They both shook their heads, and said the words I had been expecting, but hoping not to hear.

"I felt my bonds break. I would be very surprised if anyone remained."

Of course. Kill the leader with the sense of bonds, so the extent of her treachery would go unknown, if not unnoticed - and leave us deserted with no guards protecting us. It was really quite brilliant. Except for the forewarning we received. If I hadn't heard her in the garden, we would have had no notice, and been completely screwed.

My admiration for her cleverness was met with a growl – and Aro was unfrozen and in a _rage._

Remembering the two _somewhat _loyal guards, I asked Jane, "Are Alec and Renata still here?"

She nodded, but explained – "Both are here, but Alec is still a little shocked at the listlessness he feels, and Renata is crying hysterically in her room. Refusing to leave it."

"So. Just you, then? Well, I have to say it. I'm impressed with your loyalty in the face of everyone else's. For what it's worth – thanks for being here."

Jane nodded, and reached out to squeeze my hand, giving me a significant look. I decided I might as well probe her mind to see what she was getting at…

"_Needs to get Aro away from here. We should all go hunt or something. Take his mind off things. Why is she looking at me like that?"_

_Right._ I shook my head to focus on the here and now. It's hard to pull back when you're listening to someone's thoughts. Especially someone that doesn't _know_ you're listening. I had to fight the urge to do it all the time. I could understand Edward _so _much better now.

I turned back to Aro – giving him a worried look. "Don't you worry, baby. The people responsible for this are going to die a slow, agonizing death for what happened today. At all of our hands." Caius growled out his agreement, and Aro looked around as if he'd been in a fog.

Unsurprisingly, the promise of retribution helped more than anything else could in that moment.

Aro looked up at me with hate-filled eyes. "Yes," he hissed, "They _will _pay. If it takes me an eternity. Once that Chelsea bitch is gone, my allies will return to me, and I'll have every resource at my disposal hunting for that asshole, Ethan."

I nodded, agreeing. Even if I hadn't known Marcus that well – I still had every intention of torturing his murderer for the pain he'd caused Aro. No one would _ever_ get away with hurting _my_ mate.

The fierceness of my thoughts took me by surprise – but I had no time to analyze it, because Aro was striding from the room and for the first time, I was scrambling to catch up with him.

I was walking at his side a few moments later – but I couldn't tell where we were going, or what his emotions meant.

He was equal parts determined, angry, despairing, and frustrated.

I glanced at him warily. _Where was he going?_

He could feel my inquiry – but he didn't respond. He walked for only a few more seconds before stopping at a door along the hallway and opening it. It looked like a storage room – there were tables, chairs, couches, and every other type of furniture possible stacked haphazardly around the space.

He didn't pause, walking toward a closet on the other side. Caius seemed to know what he was doing, and stood by the doorway looking somber.

He produced a large urn from inside, and I finally figured out we were gathering the remains of Marcus. _Of course._

He could feel my understanding, and finally looked over at me. "Take me back, please? I want to get this over with quickly."

I nodded – agreeing completely. I grabbed his hand, and we teleported back to Marcus's office. Aro grabbed a small broom from next to the fireplace and swept every bit of ashes from the now cold grate. He sealed them up, closing the top of the urn and looked at me – saying only, "Throne room?"

I grabbed his hand, and repeated my actions taking us to the Throne Room. Caius was already there sitting in his throne – looking dejected.

Aro carefully placed the urn on Marcus's throne and said, "Let's go get something to eat."

I motioned for Caius and Jane to come closer – we were certainly not splitting up – and said, "Everyone just put a hand on me." I looked back at Aro. "Florence?"

He nodded and we all teleported, arriving at the same outdoor market as before. It was dark, and again – no one was around.

Which was good, because both Jane and Caius looked like they were trying hard not to puke.

I smiled a little. I didn't feel anything this time. My body had finally grown used to the sensation – and apparently, so had Aro's. He even looked a little amused at the others reactions.

I didn't bother myself to consider only low lives this time. I just let Aro lead wherever he wanted to go.

And he didn't seem particularly interested in making a production of choosing his victims either… we ended up stopping only a few blocks from the marketplace at a bar.

Its inhabitants were spilling out onto the sidewalk – and we managed to look only a little odd in our too nice clothes.

I separated from Aro and the group, walking over to the bar itself and catching the eye of one the many inebriated men standing by it. I sidled up to the biggest one – he was nearly a foot taller than I was, and pressed my body close.

"How are you doing tonight, sugar?" Really, I just wanted to eat him, and this conversation was _already_ annoying me. I decided a hungry look was just as good as seductive and something I knew I could pull off. I focused on his blood – hoping my gaze would turn black, so I wouldn't have to have an awkward conversation about why they were red.

I didn't feel anything happen, but I took the chance and met his gaze with mine. He spoke and I nearly recoiled his breath smelled so incredibly bad. _Ugh!_

"Better now that I'm met you, il mio bel fiore." He gazed at me lustfully and with a little awe – like he couldn't believe his luck.

He was totally right to question it, too. People should really follow their instincts.

I leaned closer to whisper into his ear – "How about we go somewhere more private to get to know each other?"

He was completely on board - must have been drinking _very _heavily – I think I could have asked him to be my dinner, and he would have said yes to that, too. I giggled with real mirth at the thought of it, and lead him by his obnoxiously warm hand out the back door of the bar, into an alley way. I put my arms around him and whispered – "Close your eyes, baby."

I enhanced my senses and didn't detect anyone too close – so I went ahead and broke his neck. Draining him in a few short moments, despite the less than spectacular taste of him – I placed his body behind a nearby dumpster and went back inside. I stuck to the shadows, not wanting anyone to see me sans meathead, in case they'd seen me leave with their friend.

Staying close to the exit and keeping an eye out for trouble - I saw Aro chatting up a bottle blond, Caius was leaned against the other side of the bar from where I'd found Mr. Halitosis, and Jane was already gone – probably eating anyone who'd been unfortunate enough to show an interest in her.

I zoned in on Aro's emotions, and found him to be frustrated, bored and lustful. I figured the lust was for her blood – or he _probably_ wouldn't be as frustrated or bored. I sent him my amusement and saw his eyes dance over the crowd looking for me.

I spoke in a normal tone of voice – knowing the humans wouldn't hear me with all the noise – saying, "Leave her behind the dumpster in the alley when your done, and I'll take her and the others to the forest, before we leave."

An average looking guy standing 10 feet away, must have heard me and thought I was talking to him. He walked closer, and I focused on his heartbeat to darken my gaze before looking up into his face.

"Sorry – I thought I heard you say something. Were you talking to me?" He looked innocent, and I debated eating him – knowing he would taste _really_ good. I checked my throat reflexively and then decided I probably wouldn't eat again for a while with my mother coming, and it would be best to overindulge.

I smiled at him, a little. Trying to appear shy. "Ah, no – I had my bluetooth in. Sorry." I stopped there, knowing he would try to pick me up, now.

He didn't disappoint. Sidling closer, he said – "Well, regardless. It's nice to meet you, I'm Seth." He held his hand out for mine, and I debated if I should touch him. Finally I just did – damn the consequences.

"I'm Bella." I put my hand in his and willed it to feel warmer. He didn't look surprised at the temperature - but I wasn't sure if that meant it worked, or if he'd had more to drink than I'd guessed.

"Would you like to go somewhere we can talk easier? I can't hear you too well in here." Seth's expression looked innocent, but this time mine wasn't. I smiled widely – probably looking a little menacing - before nodding.

I showed him out the back way – and saw Aro draining the blond along the wall. I knew the second he saw it too – because he drew in a deep breath, probably to yell and I just grabbed his neck and twisted. He let out a wheeze and went limp.

I managed to grab him and guide his body to rest against the wall – before I turned to Aro who'd finished the blond asking, "Do you want to share him?"

A little spark came into Aro's eyes, and he looked pleased. Nodding at me, he came closer and reached to hold what's-his-name against the wall for me. I kept eye contact with Aro as I bit into his neck.

_Ah. Innocent blood._ A spark of guilt lit in me thinking about it – but the _taste_ soon overwhelmed all my thoughts, and I was blissful again.

He ran out quickly, of course – and I let go of him, and pressed my body against Aro's. Hmmm... we really needed to bring a snack to the bedroom. I bet the sex after we both fed would be _incredible._

As it was – I was already too turned on for a public place, and too aware of our safety issues to ditch Caius and Jane and go somewhere private with him.

I settled for kissing him hard, and sucking his tongue a bit. It made my desire _so_ much worse – but hearing him groan in frustration somehow eased the sting.

I pulled back, and licked his lips to get the rest of the blood off; tightened his tie and told him to go see if he could figure out what was keeping Caius while I got rid of our meals.

He agreed – and I grabbed the two we'd just drained, and walked them over to the meathead from earlier.

Putting a hand, and a foot on all three – I teleported to the countryside just outside town. I left the bodies slightly hidden, but not enough to keep them from animals, and hoped a scavenger would finish them off.

I came back as quickly as I could – only to find Jane in the alley now. She was busy trying to stuff both of her suitors bodies in the dumpster, when I interrupted.

"I can dump them in the forest, if you want." Her head snapped around – and she relaxed when she noticed me. Nodding her head, she grabbed the arm of each one and dragged them over to me.

I repeated the same actions with those two and returned in no time.

Caius, Jane and Aro were all waiting for me when I returned – and I looked to Caius trying to figure out where he'd left his meal. He shrugged and pointed at the dumpster, and I figured one body was better than 6, and we'd just leave it there.

"Home?" I asked. Aro nodded, and everyone placed a hand on me- we were back in Volterra a few seconds later.

I decided if we were all staying together – we'd be doing it somewhere less boring than the throne room, and before everyone knew it – we were back in Aro's office.

I sank down into one of his chairs, wishing for a fire to warm me – and was shocked out of my semi-tired state, by flames erupting in the fireplace.

I looked at the others who's faces were just as shocked as mine – before shrugging.

_Fuck it. _I'll get all my answers tomorrow when my mother arrives...

A/N: In case anyone's interested - il mio bel fiore means my beautiful flower in Italian, according to Google Translate.

Thanks for reading! And, if you have a minute - please review! A


	19. In the interim

Chapter 19

Aro stared into the fire all night. I found myself keeping his emotions in the forefront of my mind, but everything was dull. Like looking at picture through a window.

I was very concerned – I knew how long Aro had spent with Marcus. I couldn't even conceive of _all_ the history they experienced together.

The longer this went on the more my anger grew. I knew intellectually that Marcus's death wasn't personal. Whomever was planning this coup obviously saw this as a tactical maneuver to keep us unbalanced. It was _certainly_ working... but the rage that continued to build in me, felt _deeply _personal.

I found myself at odds with my instincts and my heart. I wanted to comfort him. _I needed to._ But I felt too awkward in our pseudo relationship to do much more than project my sympathy and budding love for him.

Yes – _I admitted it._ I loved Aro. In my own way. It wasn't the deep love that came with time, it was as if he was a part of me – I couldn't _not_ love him. He was the me I always wanted to be. The other half of my fucked up coin. The better half, in all honesty.

My impetuous nature made it so I could only wait until the sun rose over the walls of the castle, before I couldn't stand to sit there anymore.

I put the fire out – willed it away. It _finally_ caused him to turn to me.

"Let's go train. You're going to have to defend yourself a bit – and I need to practice my screwy skills."

He nodded. The haze over his emotions was still there – but I felt a small spark of enthusiasm, and it was all the confirmation I needed that he'd brooded enough.

I grabbed his hand, and pulled him out into the gardens. I figured since we were all alone – why sequester ourselves in that barren training room?

"Let's do a regular spar. I don't want to rely completely on my powers. I need to be able to kick ass without them."

Aro nodded, and I could feel his approval.

He crouched down and nodded at me when I did the same. And I rushed him. He easily caught me and slammed my back into the ground.

"That was foolish." He admonished me. "You cannot win with a direct attack on a seasoned fighter, _without_ using your powers."

He pushed me back from him, and crouched down again. _This _time I went to the left, and tried to come up behind him, like I would have if I'd been invisible...

He slammed me into the ground, again.

"Did Felix and Santiago teach you anything? Or did they just sit back and watch the magic show?"

I smiled internally. He was totally focused on what we were doing now. The haze had come off his feelings, and they were back to normal.

We attacked each other at least 40 times – with Aro always winning – before Caius came out and starting giving me feedback. Well – he tossed his own brand of sarcastic jibes out every time I failed. It was _a type _of feedback, I guess. The worst kind.

Jane and Alec soon joined him. Making their own comments, though they were much more cordial in their rebukes.

I finally called it quits. Demanding that someone face me while I had full use of my powers.

I needed to show off a little before I _died_ of shame.

Aro could feel me, of course. He nodded at me to go ahead – and I let loose with every power I had.

I went invisible and jumped on his back, tackling him. He brushed me off and I used my super speed to jump over him, I teleported when he would have pounced on me, I used my stealth to confuse him, I thought about adding a fireworks show – but I was too afraid of hurting him.

Finally – for a grand finale – I willed his compliance and made him sit down and count backward from 100.

Once he'd gotten to 98, I let it go. And everyone dutifully clapped.

It was hollow, though. I was a shit fighter, and I totally knew it.

I sat next to him, and said as much. "What the fuck am I going to do if I don't have powers? What if during a battle I can't keep it up? I've never worked myself to exhaustion before – but I know instinctively it _could_ happen..."

He sighed, and leaned against me. "I don't know. Can you try to read memories? Maybe if you read Caius you'd get some ideas. He's the best fighter in the whole Volturi."

I looked at Caius inquisitively. Not only because that was an intriguing fact that _no one_ ever seemed to mention... but also because he must _surely _object to the idea of me knowing _all_ his thoughts.

He sighed, hugely. Not one to give in to anything with grace – he stomped his feet a bit, and looked around like another suitable candidate would pop out of the bushes at any moment. Finally, he sat down next to Aro and I and grudgingly said, "If you _have_ to. I admit, if I hadn't seen how _terrible_ you were myself I wouldn't see the need. _But_ since we can't have you guarding _anyone_ in your current state..."

He held his hand out to me.

I hesitantly took it – and willed his memories of fighting. _Just fighting._

Small flickers started coming through – and I realized with a jolt that I was seeing his human life. He was a fucking Gladiator!

I could _feel_ my smile. That was so fucking awesome. It was like watching the history channel in 3D – from a 1st person perspective.

The images just kept coming, so fast now – I had to will them to slow.

I saw his training and it was _the_ _most_ helpful thing I'd ever seen. Each individual exercise, and the correlating attack.

Damn – he really had some moves. He was a fucking super ninja. I couldn't even _comprehend_ someone knowing how to do this shit.

_Then, _there were images of him in battle – annihilating people left and right. I even saw Aro fighting with him.

I kept the images coming – a little faster now. I felt _fairly_ confident I could do _some _of it, after watching him train.

It started to get repetitive and I closed the connection. Using my power to whisper in his ear, I said "Thank you. That was the most awesome shit I've ever seen."

When I opened my eyes, Aro was looking at me questioningly. I nodded my head and without speaking we both got back into our positions.

Caius looked doubtful – and I couldn't help but feel like he was my mentor now. I _really_ didn't want to disappoint him after he put himself out there like that. He didn't even know I could limit my search solely to his memories of fighting. He'd just opened himself to an _invasive_ search of his entire existence. I wanted to show him my gratitude. By winning, of course.

Aro sprung at me – I deflected, jumping over his head – and landing lightly on my feet, before springing at his exposed back. He turned, and I lunged to the left, trying to get to his exposed side. He jumped right, and I slid on the ground, going under him – before getting back to my feet and tackling him while he was getting his bearings.

I just laid on top of him – grinning like an idiot. I finally fucking won.

Caius totally ruined my moment by saying, "Eh. You really need to practice with a more worthy opponent. I think I'll spar with you now."

My eyes got wide – and I knew Aro could feel my fear. He sent me reassurance before getting back to his feet, and holding a hand out for me.

Caius didn't crouch – he didn't give me any warning at all. As soon as Aro moved far enough away, he attacked. _Hard._

One move would have decapitated me if I'd waited a _fraction _of a second longer to deflect. I started feeling myself close everything else off. I didn't enhance any of my senses, I didn't keep a side commentary rolling in back of my mind – I was completely in the moment.

I got faster. Now that I was moving instinctively and not thinking about it – my movements were more fluid, too.

I didn't hear the comments from the peanut gallery. I didn't even _see_ anything but Caius. And suddenly, I was noticing small signs of his next move. His weight would shift infinitesimally before he struck. His eyes would follow the path he planned to take, a second before he would move.

It was a _real_ education. And he was a _really_ good opponent. I figured if I could stale mate him, it would be the greatest accomplishment of my newborn life.

And, I came _very_ close. But no cigar. His phone rang and broke my concentration and he managed to tackle me. _Figures._

He jumped up, and grabbed his phone – answering with a brusque, "Yes?"

I could hear my mother's voice, "Hello? Is this Caius?"

His impatience was _obvious_, "Yes, _of course."_

"Well, this is Renee – Bella's Mother."

I could hear his teeth clenching. I held in a snicker.

"_Yes. _I'm quite aware of that. Are you on your way?"

"_Actually_, we've already arrived. In light of the nature of Bella's request – I pulled a few strings and was able to charter a flight last night. We just got in. I didn't want to bother you so late in the evening, though."

I rolled my eyes. We'd spent the night _staring at a fire._ Surely, she _must_ know vampires don't sleep.

I looked at Aro - "Can you call a car service to meet us at the airport? I can teleport us there and we can drive them back."

He nodded, before turning to Jane with his hand held out. She opened her phone and after pressing a few keys, gave it to him.

_Yet another sign of their eery intimacy. _

I heard it ringing already and turned my attention back to Caius's conversation.

He apparently heard enough from us to direct her, "Wait in the lounge nearest the exit. Terminal B. We'll be there to get you, momentarily. How many are in your party?"

"Twelve." She answered. Caius promptly held 2 fingers up to Aro, who nodded.

My eyes were saucers. Twelve? I couldn't decide if I was impressed so many of her brethren were willing to follow her to a vampire's castle – or if I was disappointed that she was a fucking _Queen_ with only twelve people loyal enough to follow her.

I wondered if they were all as powerful as I was. If so – twelve would be _more _than enough. If not, their mortality was in serious danger...

I shrugged. Not that the loss of life wasn't an issue, but it wasn't something _ I _could be held responsible for. My mother was the queen, let her worry about the safety of her subjects.

Caius ended the call with my mother and clicked around on his phone several times, before walking over to me with the phone held out.

"I understand you can teleport to a place based solely on an image. _This_ -" he shook the phone, wanting me to take it, "is a picture of the airport parking lot. It has a covered bridge attaching it to Terminal B. The car service will meet you" he pointed to the picture, "right here."

"_Perfect._ Thanks, Caius." I _almost_ wanted to hug him for being so helpful, but I held it in. I felt a strange closeness with him now that I'd seen so many of his memories. His _entire_ life had been fighting, I felt like I'd only missed a few more personal interactions...

He nodded, before asking Aro "Will there be enough room for us all to go, along with the twelve? I'd rather not separate."

"Yes. I rented a limo for us, and a small bus for them. It will be comfortably spacious for everyone." Aro answered.

_Nice._ I waved everyone over and waited for them to touch me. A few seconds later we were standing in the parking garage.

"Shit. I didn't even think of contacts." I exclaimed in horror.

"Isabella, it's 8 AM. It's not exactly busy – and we are going straight to the lounge. I promise we will not encounter many people on the way. Just keep your eyes averted." Aro told me, while rubbing my shoulder soothingly.

I nodded, taking a deep breath for courage – and grabbing his hand. He pulled me toward the exit. Caius walked next to Aro and I – while Jane and Alec brought up the rear.

I was getting progressively more nervous. What if I wanted to _eat_ my mother? What if I hugged her too tight and decapitated her? What if...

Aro cut off my panicked thoughts. "It's just through there." He pointed to a door on the left, titled **LOUNGE** – and I took one more big breath, before squaring my shoulders and opening the door.

"_**Bella!" **_My mother screeched. A smile involuntarily formed on my face when I saw her.

She looked like a Bohemian princess. She had a long gauzy skirt in some weird design, that looked like constellations; silver Grecian style sandals that laced up her legs, and a silvery tank top. Her hair was _all_ over the place, and her make up must have sweated off during the journey, because all she had left was a tiny hint of eyeliner and mascara.

It was _just_ how I remembered her. I felt myself tear up and my smile wobble.

I rushed over at super speed and gripped her in the lightest hug I was capable of. She wheezed a little.

I breathed in her scent, and whimpered, "Mom."

"_Oh" - _she breathed out, "I missed you too, baby."

I pulled back and smiled. I looked over at her entourage – wondering how they'd react to the vampire in their midst.

_Yep._ They were terrified of me. _Sweet._

My smile got a lot colder – and I sneered a little. _How_ did these wimps expect to _battle_ vampires if they couldn't even hold themselves confidently in the presence of a _friendly_ one?

What a waste.

I grabbed my mother's hand. "We have a car coming to the parking lot, just over the bridge near here. Do you have any luggage we need to pick up?"

She waved dismissively behind her – and I noticed a _mountain_ of luggage piled in the corner. My eyes were bugging out. _How did she even have time to pack all that?_

"Sarah was nice enough to collect it from baggage claim for us, already. She'll bring it to the car."

I objected, on _principle._ Seriously – the woman was _human._ No way was she going to be able to carry _all _that.

"Why don't you let us help her? I can probably carry most of that myself, with my vampire strength. Give the poor woman a break."

"If you're sure..." she answered, like I'd rescind the offer if she tried to accept. _Please._ I could probably get all that with one hand.

I turned back to my group. "Do you guys mind helping?"

Aro immediately headed over, "Of course not, my dear."

My mother tittered, "Oh. It's King Aro." She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch him. _Creepy._

"Sarah." She snapped out. "Get the damn bags. We can't have _King_ Aro carrying our stuff, for gods-sake."

A skinny woman, a little younger than my mom, gave me a look of panic.

I sighed. Being nice was taxing me.

"Jane, Alec – will you help Sarah, please?"

Both Jane and Alec hurried over – like they'd just been _waiting_ to be volunteered.

I grabbed Aro's hand, and we started walking toward the parking lot.

My mother began a nervous chatter, "So... are you Caius?" she said turning toward him, as if she didn't already know.

He sighed – it sounded long suffering – it probably should be, though. It was an exact repeat of the conversation they _just_ had on the phone.

I held in my laugh, and Aro turned his face toward the wall to hide his smile.

She kept it going, too - "It's so very nice to meet you. So... you're a King, too? How exactly does _that_ work? Are there just the two of you?"

I winced. The memory of Marcus's ashes was just _too_ fresh to talk about it casually.

I grabbed her attention, "Mom. Let's save the getting to know you chat for another time, kay? Have you and your minions already eaten?"

"Minions, Bella? Really? Is that what they are to the Volturi?" I kept my nod in, but from what I'd seen of them... yes, yes – they were. I knew she'd keep going, so I forewent answering.

"Yes – my _coven_ and I already had a _lovely_ breakfast on the plane. In fact, chartering a jet was _the_ absolute BEST. You should have seen it- we bypassed all those _horrid_ lines in the airport and were shuffled right onto the plane..."

She kept going, but I wasn't listening anymore. I knew she'd chatter the _entire_ way if I just kept nodding – so that was my plan.

We made it to the cars and Aro directed Jane and Alec, who ended up carrying all the bags, toward the tour bus that was waiting.

"Mom. Do you want to ride with us, or would you rather go with the coven?"

I pointed toward the limousine we were riding in.

She looked a little indecisive – until Aro opened the door, and she could see the lights and bar attached to the rather gaudy interior.

"I'm going with you." She turned to address the minions, "Guys – I'll meet you there."

She practically ran toward the limo, and slid in first. She immediately started exclaiming over everything, and Caius looked like he was torn between riding with us or the coven.

I laughed and patted him on the shoulder before getting in myself.

It _was _nice. Black leather upholstery, and black lacquered trim. There was a full bar running along one wall, and a bench stretched out along side it lengthways, another bench seat ran along the wall separating us from the driver, and a last bench ran the length of the trunk. I seated myself by the window in the corner by the trunk – while my mother was leaned over the bar – opening all the cabinets and tittering over _every single thing_ she found inside.

"Oh, look Bella – they put ice in here, too. And, look – it's a snack bar! Oh, they have tiny muffins. Remember how you always used to love these? " and on and on it went.

Alec and Jane didn't look like they wanted to sit too close to her, but with Aro, Caius and I in the seat furthest away – they had to edge around her to get to the seat behind the driver. They tip toed like she was wild animal.

I almost cackled at the imagery.

But my mother remained oblivious. "And look – there's a whole stack of napkins. How thoughtful..."

I finally cut her off - "Mom, you should sit now. We're leaving."

She finally noticed that we were all already seated, and took a seat facing the bar, before patting the seats around her looking for a seat belt.

"I can't find the seatbelts, Bella. Surely they don't expect people to go without them... that's _dangerous._ Is this a licensed chauffeur up front? Or one of your vampire friends?"

"He's a stranger, Mom. Don't say vampire so loud, _geez._ Just sit there. I swear if we get into an accident, I will grab you and get you to safety."

She didn't look the slightest bit appeased. "But you're sitting so far away. Maybe you should sit here next to me." She patted the seat. "For my safety, of course." She tried to give me an innocent look – but I could practically feel her mischievous intentions.

"I'm good here, Mom. Why don't you have a snack? You were looking _awfully_ hard at those muffins for someone that had a full breakfast."

She was _so_ easily diverted. "I really would like a muffin. Ah, but I shouldn't get up while we're moving. It's..." I cut her off before she could say dangerous, again.

I flitted over to the bar, grabbed two muffins and a napkin and placed them on the seat next to her.

"There. Now, you can rest _safely._" I said mockingly, while re-seating myself.

Jane was trying valiantly not to laugh out loud. Her whole face showed the strain of holding it in. And, Aro was no better – the two of them seemed to find this _hilarious._

Dicks.

I willed her to be quiet and eat her muffins, but if there _had _to be one person immune to my powers – it was her.

"These are so dry..." she coughed a little dramatically. I rolled my eyes and lunged back out of my seat for some juice. _Christ._

"Can I have apple?" She asked, after I'd already poured a glass of the orange.

I sighed. _This was going to be the LONGEST drive ever._

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. A


	20. From sugar to shit

A/N: Not that you guys shouldn't expect it - but this chapter is rated _particularly_ Mature for sexual content.

Chapter 20

We _finally_ arrived in Volterra – my mother the never-ending chatterbox – barely even pausing for breath as she exclaimed over everything she saw out the window.

"Ooh – look how quaint the tiny village is. Ahhh, this is priceless. I need to stop and take some pictures. Bella, can we stop?"

"Mom. There will be _plenty_ of time for sightseeing _after_ we settle this whole vampire nemesis trying to claim the throne of the Volturi mess, okay? I promise. I will take you personally – to snap a picture of _every single_ _thing_ in this village. I swear it."

"If you say so…," she sang out.

I hoped for all our sakes that it worked out – _just_ like that, actually. I wanted nothing more than to get this over with, and have _all_ the time in the world to play tourist with my mom.

We pulled up to the castle, and my mother's stream of chatter finally abated. I looked at her curiously, sure she'd have _something_ to say about the castle, but she was completely awestruck.

_Nice. _I used the opportunity to turn to Aro and inquire about rooms for everyone.

"Are guest rooms already set up for this many people?" I asked him.

He looked slightly concerned, but didn't answer me, turning instead to Jane - "Are they?"

"Yes, Master. Several rooms haven't been used in a while, so a few may need to be dusted, but I can take care of that while the coven unload their belongings." she replied.

"You should ask Renata to help you; she should probably be somewhat back to normal by now." I suggested.

Jane nodded, "I'll check with her on my way." She promised.

By this time, we were parked in the underground garage. _Another _part of the castle, I had yet to see.

_Fucking place is too big._

We all exited the car, and one of my mother's coven members rushed over as soon as she departed. _Probably making sure we didn't eat the Queen on the drive over._

She exhaled in visible relief at seeing my mother's unmolested state.

I sneered at her, "You don't really think I'd allow harm to come to my mother, do you?"

"Bella," my mother chastised, "humans have an instinctive fear of vampires. Don't be so hard on her."

"I didn't as a human; and neither do you. If you were scared, I'd sense it."

"What can I say? You and I are one in a million, babe." she replied, placing an arm over my shoulder.

I laughed, pulling her into a light hug - "That you are, Mom. That you are."

The aforementioned witch, looked like she might have a heart attack watching my closeness with my mother.

I was _sick_ of it, already. "Buck up, princess. You _are_ staying in a castle with _other _vampires even less invested in your well-being than I am. Best get your game face on. Adrenaline like the kind running through you now – makes you taste _really good."_ I bared my teeth at her, and she practically ran back toward the tour bus.

My mother sighed, "Ugh. I hope they chill out. You're totally right."

I nodded. We turned in unison toward the exit – I glanced over at Alec to see him already making himself useful getting the luggage from the bus, and I pulled my mother toward the elevator.

"Come on. Let's find you a good room."

Walking at human pace, was _just_ as annoying as before. And, the castle really seemed impossibly large at this rate of travel. We walked for 15 minutes after departing the elevator. I just took her in the direction of my room, knowing I was in the human area.

I took a deep breath and smelled Jane – so I called out in a regular speaking voice, "Jane – which room is my mom's?"

She ran over to us, and pointed at the one directly across from mine.

"This one. I finished it first. I thought you'd like to be close."

I nodded, and pushed the door open. It was an exact replica of my room, and I remembered my snack bar, which was now totally wasted on me.

I walked over to the cabinet my mini refrigerator was housed in, and sure enough – there was a snack bar in here, too.

I opened it saying, "There are some snacks here for you. No one has bought any real food for you guys, yet – so this is kinda all the refreshments we have at the moment. There's a similar fridge in my room, if you run out."

She nodded, "We can go buy food later. I'd like to freshen up a bit, will you have my luggage dropped off while I shower?"

"Sure. Alec is probably already here. I'll go check." I said as I walked toward the door.

I sniffed the hallway – yes, Alec was just down the hall.

I saw a coven member, and waved asking, "Hey – do you know which of the luggage is my mom's?"

She nodded, and followed me down the hall – until we literally ran into Alec.

She pointed at several cases. "These four here – including the trunk, are Queen Renee's."

"Thanks." I turned to her and noticed how calm she seemed. I decided she was worthy of an introduction.

"I'm Isabella, by the way." I held my hand out to her.

She shook it gently - replying, "I'm Barbara. It's very nice to meet Renee's daughter, even if it's under these circumstances."

I nodded, wondering if the circumstances she was referring to were my being a vampire, _or_ the threat hanging the Volturi. _Probably both._

"Nice meeting you too, Barbara. I'll leave you to get settled in. I'm sure we'll have a meeting as soon as you are." I turned to nod at Alec. "Alec here – will be around if you need anything and you can't find me."

Alec nodded to her politely, before taking off back down the hallway with the rest of the luggage.

I grabbed my mother's cases _and_ trunk. _Jesus – was she moving in?_

Depositing them all in her bedroom, I wandered over to the bathroom door calling out, "Mom? Your luggage is on your bed. I'm going to head to the throne room to check in with Aro – I'll ask Jane to come back to escort you in 30 minutes, all right?"

"Okay, Bella." She called out from the shower.

Leaving her room and running to the throne room only took a few seconds, and Aro was waiting in his throne when I got there.

He patted his lap, and I sat down only _a little _awkwardly. I felt his happiness, and it struck a chord deep in me. I wanted so much to make him happy. It felt like my priority number one after the mating. Feeling his happiness now gave me a complete feeling. Like it was all I needed in the world.

I turned to face him, and snuggled into his arms with a smile.

It was hard to imagine all the terrible shit that was happening in our lives was real right now. All the anxiety and stress of the last few days melted away here – and it was just us.

I wanted to seize this opportunity before _something_ inevitably ruined it.

I turned my face up to his, and kissed him.

Not like any other time we'd kissed, either. This time it was loving. And I sappily noted to myself that it was the best one of all.

Of course, kisses with Aro never ended up being quite what they started out as – and when I felt his tongue against my bottom lip – I _could_ have ended things, I _could_ have considered my mother and the meeting with the witches, or any number of other reasons to keep things chaste – _but, _I went the other way with it.

I opened my mouth, letting Aro's tongue in and twining it together with my own. His taste exploded over me, and I pushed myself against him harder – groaning. My hands fisted in his hair, and all I could think was... _want. _

He responded just as heatedly as I did – wrapping his arms completely around me and crushing me against his chest. He kissed me deeper, sucking on my tongue - and I was _lost to him._

I pushed myself up onto my knees and sat facing him. Rubbing my center against his erection, teasingly.

I pulled back, and Aro attacked my neck, licking my mating mark causing me to growl out - "Where's your room?"

He scraped the edges of his teeth along my neck, and my entire lower body clenched with desire. "South wing – just behind us," he muttered.

I stood slowly, making sure to rub my body all along his as I did – and it was his turn to growl.

He jumped from his seat, and lifted me into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. And took off running.

I buried my face in his neck, rubbing against him and biting his neck lightly.

He picked up speed and before I knew it – we were in a large bedroom. I didn't even glance around, my entire focus was Aro.

He dropped me on the bed, and shredded my dress – leaving me almost completely naked, except for my panties.

I moaned and tore his jacket off – before doing the same to his shirt. He ripped at the buttons on his pants frantically, and tore his underwear in the process.

As soon as he was naked, he tackled me. Pushing me onto my back, he rubbed his cock into my wet slit, before grunting and pulling back to rip my panties off.

I grabbed his hair hard, and pulled him back toward me for a deep kiss.

Without pausing – he pushed his cock inside me.

There was no pain this time, just endless pleasure. I was tight, and I could feel _every_ inch of him, but instead of worrying like last time – I relished every bit of it.

He kept pushing until he was sheathed completely inside me – and bucked his hips against me hard – hitting my cervix, and causing me to scream out.

_That_ hurt. But the pain mixed with the rest of it – just made me more wild for him. I gripped his shoulders tightly, and whined.

And he did it again – and this time I met his thrust with my own, and I swear I saw stars the pleasure was so intense.

Aro let go of his human facade – and started fucking me at vampire speed, gripping my body so tightly my bones would have broken if I was human. He licked my neck once across my mark, before sinking his teeth into it.

I came – my orgasm intense. My teeth ached, and I bit down on his shoulder to ease them – feeling his venom pour into my mouth. The indescribable taste easing a tension in me I didn't even know was there.

Aro didn't let up his assault on me at all – he continued to fuck me all the way through my orgasm, before pulling his teeth out and rolling onto his back, pulling me on top of him.

He gripped my hips, and thrust his hips against me as hard as he could – before grinding me down into him. I took over the movements, and he pulled me closer – and latched onto my nipple, suckling it strongly before nibbling the tip.

I forced myself down on him harder, and he moaned. He slid his hand between us, and pinched my clit with his fingers – and started pulling my unresisting body down on his faster. I leaned closer trapping his hand between us – and kissed him, sucking on the tip of his tongue. His taste sent me into a frenzy and I fucked him as hard as I could, using my arms to pin him in place.

Aro twisted my clit in between his fingers, and I came again. I clenched down on him hard through my contractions and he roared out his own release before biting into my breast, the feel of his teeth sinking into me – caused my orgasm to lengthen and I came for a solid minute – before letting my body slump forward, bonelessly. Aro unlatched his teeth, and licked the marks on my breast closed, before pulling me into a hug.

We were both panting, our emotions a haze of sexual satisfaction and contentment.

I could have stayed right there in that moment with him forever.

I cuddled him closer – before taking a deep breath of his scent, and humming in happiness.

Ha. My happiness reflected his now – and I could feel his answering joy and relief.

I knew he had the same _need _to make me happy, and it wasn't until this moment I realized how much it must have been weighing on him not to be able to provide it for me.

I'd worried him.

A sliver of guilt worked it's way into my consciousness. And a fuck ton of contrition.

He _did_ make me happy – my warped mind just kept all the negatives at the forefront, and he had no way of knowing. I vowed then and there to let him feel the happiness he brought me, every single day.

I playfully kissed his neck, working my way up to his face and finally kissing his mouth. And his adoration was a star burst that shot right to my heart.

I laughed it made me so giddy. Awww – this was fun. I could totally manipulate him into feeling happy, which made _me _happy.

Something to remember for the future...

I knew we couldn't stay here, there were a thousand things more important than laying in bed lost in my cycle of happiness – but when he kissed me back I lost track of _why_ all those things were more important.

Until someone pounded on the door. My irritation was dwarfed by Aro's.

We growled at the intruder in unison – and I took a deep breath to start screaming some obscenities to add to the mix, when I realized it was Caius.

I groaned. There was _no_ way Caius would interrupt us unless it was important.

Aro must have felt my resignation – he climbed off the bed, grabbing a robe and tossing it to me before pulling on a similar one and wrenching the door open.

"Yes?" He asked. I was shocked at how cordial he seemed. If I wasn't feeling him, I'd have no idea how his annoyance and indignation were only a shade shy of murderous. Two faced Aro makes another appearance. I shook my head at him, even though he couldn't see.

Caius held up a phone – and I frowned. _Really?_ A fucking phone call?

He held his hand over the microphone and whispered, "It's the London Coven. They have information about Wintergreen."

If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have cackled at Caius picking up my nick name for Ethan, scumbag extraordinaire.

Aro shot me a look of regret, before taking the phone from Caius and answering.

"Yes? Alexander?" I could hear the reply on the other side reply in the negative.

"Oh? Phoebe? Where is Alexander? MISSING?_" _He was sufficiently distracted and left the room, even though he was barely clothed – in a robe and nothing else. I assumed he went to his office.

I sighed deeply. I rolled around Aro's bed for a second, luxuriating in his scent – which was the strongest I'd ever smelled it beyond what I got from his skin.

I deeply regretted its necessity, but I teleported to my own bed.

I decided not to shower, so I could smell like Aro for a while longer. While it seemed somewhat sick in my rational mind, my vampire counterpart was purring with satisfaction at the knowledge that not only could I relish his scent, but _everyone _who came in contact with me would, too.

I wandered through the closet disinterestedly – before apathetically choosing a deep blue sundress. I threw my hair into a pony tail and washed my hands and face before departing. I was barefoot – a fact that didn't register until my feet touched the cold stone of the hallway.

I smiled internally thinking I could lure Aro back to his bedroom later to get my shoes.

I knocked on my mother's door – and called out to announce myself. "Mom?"

"Come in, Bella."

My mother had her coven convened in her sitting room. Several of them stared at me hard – before I realized my mating mark was on display with my hair pulled back. It was a _lot_ more defined after Aro bit into it again. It was now visible to human eyes, _at a distance._

I couldn't bring myself to care. If they had a hot mate like mine – they'd let him mark them up, too.

My mother, of course – had a totally different reaction. She'd seen the mark yesterday on web cam. She could tell the difference.

She wolf whistled. "Nice, Bella! Get some."

And _now_ I was embarrassed. "Shut up, Mom! Geez. If the whole castle didn't know a minute ago – they certainly do _now." _I hissed.

She laughed uproariously - "If I had vampire hearing, I'd probably have known _long_ ago. Best get rid of that girlish modesty, Bella. It doesn't suit your new status."

_What status? Biggest whore in the known universe? _Way to instill confidence in your progeny, Mom.

I glared at her.

The women in the room obviously didn't realize the dynamics of our relationship, and shifted a little like they were preparing to defend her from an attack.

I rolled my eyes at them, and projected my disdain just to send the point home.

A few gasps rang out – but my mother was laughing again.

"You really _are _using your powers without any instruction. Good job, baby."

I smiled at her and winked. If _only_ she knew.

"Let's go to the throne room. There have been some new developments, and I figure we should all get updated at once."

She nodded, and got up while waving a casual hand at the rest of the room and following behind me.

"So..." she whispered conspicuously, "how good is he? On a scale from 1 to 10. He looks like a damn 11. I never thought I would go for long hair, but something about his just makes you want to grab a hold of it and..."

"Okay – enough fantasizing about my mate. _Jesus._ I am a jealous vampire under all this civility. I don't think I'm _capable_ of listening to you finish that sentence."

She laughed, "Possessive? I never would have guessed it of you, babe. So... seriously. Give me a number, and I'll let it go."

I looked around to make sure we weren't overheard. No one was in range.

"A 15, Mom. I swear he almost killed me earlier." And what a death it would have been...

"I knew it!" She crowed.

I smirked at her – and turned to glance back at the group to make sure they'd followed.

I opened the throne room doors, and held it open for my mother. I let go after she made it through though. Those coven bitches needed to learn to suck up to beings capable of eating them with ease.

Caius was sitting on his throne – looking anxious, Jane was pacing at the bottom of the dais and Alec had a stoic look on his face. They all turned to me when my mother and I entered, first with relief – then disappointment.

"What's the matter, guys? Where's Aro?" I asked.

"We're not sure – Aro left to take that call, and no one has seen him since."

My brows furrowed, but I remained pretty calm. He was probably just changing clothes.

"He's probably just in his room. I'll go get him." I turned and walked out.

But Aro wasn't in his bedroom– and I was mildly panicked when I realized it.

I went to his office, but found it empty as well. I smelled the air deeply. I wasn't sure where Caius's office was located... but I didn't smell Aro anywhere.

I checked every single corner of the castle. I ran the hallways smelling the air, I went to the gardens, _and_ I went to the basement. There was no trace of him.

I started calling out in my panic. "Aro?! Where are you?"

I finally got sick of it. And I screamed at the top of my lungs - "Jane! Caius!"

I heard footsteps running closer and turned toward them – Jane materialized at the end of the hall I was in, and a few moments later – so did Caius.

"We need to split up and check the castle."

They both nodded their heads.

"I'll check the East wing and basement again – if you two will check the West and North wings?"

They both nodded and we went our separate ways.

My fear was escalating. If I found a pile of ashes that smelled like Aro – I would _lose _it. I whimpered just thinking about it.

_No._ I could not even contemplate it. He would be fine. I would find him bumbling around the garden or some shit. I just knew I would. I kept telling myself that over and over.

My search came up empty – just as it had the first time.

I headed back to the throne room, praying one of the others found him. I pushed the doors open, and I was greeted with their severe expressions.

I screamed. _My mate was gone._

I searched inside myself for his emotions, but I didn't feel anything. _I didn't feel anything!_

Was Aro dead?

A red haze descended over my vision and I wanted to _destroy_ something.

I could hear a storm brewing outside – lightning struck and it sounded uncomfortably close. It matched my mood, perfectly.

The ground rumbled. I could feel the floor on the throne room shaking.

_I wanted to slaughter the entire world_ to get to whoever had the audacity to do this.

_They would know the mistake they made in harming what was mine. _

Flames appeared in my palms. My vision tunneled.

Even in my highly antagonized state – I was sure Aro was _not _dead. He was my mate. I would feel him die – I just _knew_ it.

I could hear voices speaking to me, but I didn't register their words. I didn't care anymore. Nothing and no one mattered except Aro.

I tried to clear my thinking enough to form a plan. _What do I do?_

I needed to talk to Caius. He would help me. I used this thought to calm myself enough to speak to him.

Just keep it together a little longer, Bella. Just a few minutes.

I closed myself off from all my powers. It was best that I not use _any_ of them right now.

Oddly enough, the storm outside abated. _That wasn't me – was it?_

I growled – the effort it was costing me to tone my anger down was huge and irritating. If I wasn't completely certain I had to speak to Caius I would have let myself go all together. Pulling myself back from the abyss of rage seeking to swallow me whole was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

I blinked my eyes hard – and found myself alone in the throne room.

I growled, again. _Why is everything so fucking difficult?_

I wanted to scream their names – but the throne room was soundproof. I stalked to the doors, throwing them open with all my strength, not even pausing when they fell off and cracked the marble floor.

"Caius? Jane?"

They both came around a bend in the hallway – looking wary.

"Are you yourself again, Bella?" Jane asked.

"As close as it gets with my fucking mate missing," I snarled.

She sighed. And Caius picked up the conversational ball.

"Did you smell anyone during your search, Isabella?"

I shook my head, no.

"Should we have Jane and Alec search the surrounding country side? Maybe they haven't gone far…" I looked at Caius, hopefully.

But he shook his head, "Without a scent trail – we have nothing to find in the countryside. We could _look_ all we want, but if we cannot smell them… they could be in tree top, while we are below and we'd be none the wiser. It's a wasted effort. We will not be able to track them. However, if we consult the witches for some sort of location spell, perhaps they could give us some direction. If so – I think we should _all_ leave together. I don't fancy sending the last two guards out alone, with no back up available, to walk into a possible ambush."

I nodded, and said – "Give me a minute to speak to my mother."

I ran at super speed to my mother's rooms. They were empty – and I grew tired of searching. Stepping back into the hallway, I screamed – "Mom!" as loud as I could.

Her head appeared in an open doorway midway down the hall.

"Bella? Honey? Is everything all right?"

I shook my head – impatient. For some stupid reason, I'd _forgotten_ that nobody except Caius, Jane and I were aware that Aro couldn't be found.

"Aro is missing." I heard her gasp, and my vision dimmed a little. I really _didn't ever_ want to have to say that again. I felt a stabbing pain in my chest, and grasped my heart with my right hand, before falling to my knees.

_Aro is missing. _Tears came to my eyes and for some reason – this time they fell.

They were bloody, venomous tears – I knew I probably looked _terrible_, but when a sob left my mouth, my mother ran right over.

She knelt in front of me – and held me while I cried.

_What would I do if I couldn't find him? _Was my last thought before I was consumed by grief.

A/N:Thanks for reading. I didn't agonize over this lemon like the last one - and I think it came out better, if a bit more graphic for my efforts. Please review!A


	21. Expect the unexpected

Chapter 21

I didn't sit there long – I felt like a clock was ticking in my head. It had been 42 minutes since I last saw Aro. I knew I would keep counting until I saw him again.

I pulled myself together enough to ask her to convene her coven, again.

"I need to know what your magic can do to help find him. I cannot afford to leave him in their clutches for a single second longer than necessary. If you can do nothing, tell me honestly – and we will make our own way."

She got to her feet, and called out, "Guys! Come to my room right now!"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her room, and heard all the doors close to it open as we walked. Everyone followed us – and I gave my mother a pleading look.

I just _could not_ explain again.

"King Aro has been taken, sometime in the last 45 minutes or so. Karen, I need you to scry for his location; Margaret, I need you to search the future; Kathy, go get my trunk and get my spell books out, please; Susan, find the kitchen and boil some water for an elixir; everyone else – brainstorm."

The room was suddenly a hive of activity. I called out for Caius, Jane and Alec to join us.

They appeared moments later – inquisitive expressions on their faces.

I turned to Caius first "You're knowledge of the countryside is the best – will you watch Karen scry and see if you can determine where she is seeing him?"

He nodded, and headed over to the woman with the hokey looking crystal on a string dangled over a map of Europe.

I looked at Alec, and asked, "Will you show Susan where the kitchen is? She'll wander around this place all damn day trying to find it on her own."

He nodded and followed a rotund woman out of the room.

Caius walked past me muttering, "I'll be right back with a better map."

I nodded, and he left quickly.

My mother opened the doors to the bedroom, and walked to the windows, pulling the shades and pushing on the latch to open it. She struggled, and I sped over to assist.

With a sharp twist of my wrist, the latch broke off completely – _oopsie -_ and I shoved the window open.

"Why do we need the windows open, anyway?" I asked.

"We draw energy from the Earth to work our spells, Bella. The closer we are to nature, the easier it is."

I was a little confused at this, especially at how an open window really constituted _closer to nature_ – but decided not to waste time questioning her.

Nodding I walked back into the other room – with her following close behind.

Kathy returned with a stack of old, beautifully bound books in her arms.

My mother chose the smallest thickest volume – it looked like a bible and held it out to me.

"Our family book of shadows." She explained. "I'm not sure how many types of magic you have used, but there are several that I'm sure you have yet to try. Look anything you have questions about up in this. There's an index in the back."

I nodded, but didn't open the book. I would have time later… _hopefully._

"Have you used any translocation magic, yet?" She asked me.

"I can teleport, if that's what you're saying. However, not to a person, only places. I tried teleporting to Aro once but nothing happened."

"Were you mated at the time?" she questioned.

"No. It was beforehand. Why would that make a difference?"

"Well, your consciousness is now linked to him. You said you had empathy. I don't suppose you can still feel him?"

"No. There is nothing coming from him. It's a void where he used to be."

She looked pained as she asked, "But you _are_ certain he's not dead, right?"

"_Yes_," I hissed at her. "If my mate was dead, I would _know._"

She nodded but said nothing else.

Her coven _finally_ broke in – some brainstorming session they were having…

"What about just searching the future for the place we'll find him?"

I closed my eyes and willed myself to see where Aro would be found.

Images of a dark cavern came to me, a short battle with two dark haired males – _then_ I saw Aro; torn to pieces, body parts packed in black cases.

I roared, and the vision cut off.

_No wonder I couldn't feel him, he wasn't whole anymore!_

Lightning flashed across the sky – and this time I was _sure_ it was me.

The red haze tried to take me over again, but I fought it hard. Blinking over and over until I could see normally.

"All I see is a cavern; there are no indications of where it is located." I growled out.

My mother looked at me with sympathy – her knowing gaze told me she was certain I had seen something horrifying, but chose not to question me. I was grateful, I squeezed my eyes shut and banished the images of Aro's mangled body from my head. _Fucking bastards would pay for that._

"What about the journey to find him? Focus on the path you will take to get there." She instructed.

I closed my eyes once more, and willed myself to see it.

I wondered briefly why I only saw pictures of the future – and Alice used to see whole scenes, words and everything. What I was getting sucked in comparison.

I saw Caius, Jane, Alec and I crossing a barren terrain. We are ambushed by 15 vampires. The resultant battle is brutal. Alec tries to use his power, but he is slow – his concentration appears broken when he is attacked…

I fast-forwarded – I saw us victorious, with only a few superficial injuries. We are questioning one of the vampires, and leaving the area after burning his body.

The landscape changes gradually. Now we are in a forest, at night. I can't make out any details. No vegetation or flowers – nothing to specify _which_ forest this is.

We meet up with a single vampire – quickly vanquishing him. Moving on, we continue through more forest, more forest, more forest, _finally_ we stop at a castle. Not as grand as ours, but older. Falling into ruin. We are greeted. We are attacked again.

More vampires swarm us. I use a power I am unfamiliar with – _what am I doing?_

Fast forward. We are again, victorious. However, Alec has lost an arm. _Ouch._ We are searching through the old castle – in a study, we find a journal.

Whatever we read there causes us to immediately leave, and continue through more _fucking forest. _UGH!

This is going nowhere. I cut off the vision, telling my mother – "All I see are trees and forest. Nothing indicates where it's located."

"Do you have an item with his essence on it? Venom or a strand of his hair?"

I was embarrassed but I went to my room for the bed sheets we had sex on. It would have a small sperm sample on it, at least.

I brought them back to my mother warning, "Don't say anything. It's all I have. We don't shed skin or hair."

She smiled, but tried to hide it. I rolled my eyes, and tried to rationalize that there was no place for embarrassment in a crisis.

Caius returned with several scrolls tucked under his arm. He nodded to me before making his way back to scry lady.

The coven formed a circle and placed my soiled sheet in the center. _Gross._ They started a weird chant – which I had _no _interest in. And began to ask for assistance from a whole slew of people. The Gods, Goddesses, Mother Earth – the _freaking moon._

I was becoming disheartened. Were these chicks for real?

I preferred my brand of magic – which gave me all their abilities without having to demean myself by begging for help from every Tom, Dick and Harry known to the universe.

My mother was right there with them, too – so I couldn't exactly ask her what the end game of their little session was.

I turned away and focused on Caius and Scry Lady. They had moved on from a map of the entire European Continent, and focused now on a map of Italy and the surrounding countries.

Her little crystal was doing a tight circle over an area North East of here. Nevertheless – even if that was their location _now - _what's to say their _destination_ wasn't another country? As much as I wanted to _just get to Aro already – _the threat wouldn't be removed simply by my doing so. I needed to follow these assholes back to the mother ship, and take Chelsea and her Master out in the process.

I began to wonder why I was fucking with these witches at all.

I pulled the book out of my back pocket and went over to the window to lean on the ledge and read.

I flipped to the index and started looking for anything that might prove helpful.

'Tracking – see also Scrying'

Yeah, _no thanks_.

Element Control – pg 312

I flipped the book to that page and was _blown _away by the picture. A witch was standing in the foreground, a fireball blazing in the palm of one hand, a blue orb – probably water in the other. Cracks and crevices ran all through the ground at her feet and the wind was blowing her hair back from her face. _Badass. _

I flipped back to the index.

Energy Consumption – see also Channeling Earth's Energies pg 195

I opened it to the indicated page. A picture showed a witch with her hand on the ground, you couldn't _see_ precisely what she was doing, but in the picture – her eyes were bright green.

Hmmm… At least I had a back up plan if I was somehow tapped out in battle – though it _would_ probably leave me exposed for however long I stayed connected to the Earth. _Connected to the Earth – how fucking weird is that?_

My mother interrupted me, "Ah. Bella, it seems we are unable to summon a vampire. Nor are we able to astrally project to him."

Two possibilities down, _how many more before I just ditch them? Useless bitches._

"Okay. Look. This seems to be getting us nowhere. Aro is not at his final destination yet, so scrying is useless. Summoning is a no go –"my voiced choked up at little at the next part – "he's in pieces wherever he is," Caius growled loudly at this – and I fought a grimace. _Oops. _

"Yeah. I saw a vision of him" _– choke -_ "packed in pieces into black cases. That's probably why I can't get a read on his emotions…" I trailed off – fighting to withhold the image from my mind's eye. I forced myself to feel grim determination and nothing else. I would get him back _I saw it._

"Anyway – the astral projection thing is out, because he's in no condition to communicate his whereabouts to us. And, I'm not seeing anything but offensive weapons in here." I shook the book for emphasis.

"So… unless you guys can some how make yourselves invulnerable to vampire attacks, and increase your speed to match ours. I am afraid, we'll be separating for the foreseeable future. I can't wait around for some miracle to be produced. I need to be out there searching for my mate. It's a biological imperative. I have to go, _now."_

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wish we'd been a bigger help to you. We will keep scrying and communicating any changes. Call us if you need anything else. And we'll watch the castle for you until you return with Aro."

I nodded, signaling Caius and Jane with my hand – and spoke quietly with them in the hallway.

"I need a few supplies, before we take off – including a change of clothes and some sneakers. I think Corin was about my size, so if you'll direct me to her room, I'll see what I can find. I'm sure you two want to change, as well. Meet me by the elevator to the lobby in 20 minutes, and we'll go, all right?"

They both nodded, and Jane pointed toward the next hallway over.

"Corin's room is the 6th door after you turn this corner, and go down the steps. I'll find Alec. Do you want me to see if Renata is up to traveling?" She asked.

"No. Her talent is useless anyway. Tell her we're leaving, and ask her to watch over the witches. They'll need more protection than a chanting circle and some crystals can provide if they come under attack."

She seemed to agree, and smiled a little - before taking off in the opposite direction.

I headed to Corin's room, finding it easily – and winced a little at her smell. Ugh – that was going to be _all_ over the clothes. It was a mixture of rain and some sort of herb. It honestly smelled like a bunch of wet basil. _Unpleasant to say the least._

She'd graciously left the majority of her clothes behind, and I was able to find a bra, jeans, a white tank top and a leather jacket. Her shoes wouldn't fit me, though.

Gathering the clothes I found, I decided just to open every door until I came across another bedroom.

The very next door turned out to be Heidi's – and her shoe collection was _enormous._ I found some black combat boots – that didn't seem to fit her personality at all – but they fit my feet, and wouldn't fall apart if I used my super speed in the forest – so I shrugged it off and took them with me.

Racing back to my bedroom, I took the quickest shower _ever - _at this point Aro's scent was just torturing me– before putting on my pilfered outfit, stuffing the book of shadows in the pocket – and running across the hall to my mom's room.

"Mom? Do you have any sunglasses?"

She produced a pair from her trunk – and I put them on top of my head.

She grimaced at me. "You're not going to wear any make up? At least put on a little eyeliner, Bella. You look a bit _rough_."

I shrugged and let her "doll me up" a little – allowing the eyeliner, blush and mascara before cutting her off when she wanted to add lipstick.

I tousled my hair, and decided it was good enough. She stopped me when I headed for the door, yelling – "Wait, wait. I brought you something of your Grandmother's. Just give me a second."

She dug through her trunk some more before producing a set of blood red stud earrings and a matching ring.

"They're amulets – for protection. She would have wanted you to have them."

Figuring they matched my Volturi necklace well enough, I put them on and moved toward the door for the second time.

"Oh, hold on. Do you have any money? Or an ID?"

I must have looked startled at the question, because she laughed at my expense before pulling out a _wad_ of hundreds, peeling off five – and handing me the rest. _Wow – _selling potions and palm readings must be more lucrative than I imagined.

I kissed her cheek lightly – saying, "Thanks, Mom." I gave her soft smile, before looking at her seriously.

"Now – remember, if you need my help - I can teleport back here in seconds. Call Caius's phone – and we will all return. All right?"

"Okay, Bella – I will."

I gave her a severe look.

"I promise!" She burst out, while giving me the three-fingered Girl Scout salute.

I laughed and walked out the door – saying, "You better. See you soon, Mom."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! A


	22. Into the woods we go

Chapter 22

I met up with the others outside the lobby elevators – when a thought occurred to me…

After my seeing my visions of the future fraught with so much danger and fighting – and useless meandering through the woods - I decided it was entirely possible to circumvent _all_ that and skip to the good parts.

I turned to Caius – "I have an idea. Based on the path scry lady was forecasting – what lies an hour ahead of their last location?"

"If they stick to farmland and forests – we could intercept them in Slovenia – a small town called Celje – would be directly in their current path to Romania."

I nodded, "Good. Pull up a picture of it on your phone – we're going to teleport into their anticipated trajectory. I'm hoping once he realizes we aren't chasing him, he'll let down his guard and be distinguishable – like he was in Florence."

They all agreed and soon Caius had an image of a not-so-small town, surrounded by deep green forests. _Bingo._

I took the phone eagerly – memorizing the image of our destination - before putting my hand in the center of us, and waiting for everyone to touch it.

Moments later – we arrived in a train station parking lot in Celje. Right on the edge of the forest.

I turned to Caius. "So… this is where I have to defer to your expertise. I'm not sure where to lie in wait. Will they avoid the town completely? Should we be miles out? If he drops his gift, what is the range on his scent?"

Caius looked smug at my questions, clearly basking in his own superior knowledge_._

"We can smell another vampire at least 1500 feet away – if the wind is blowing in the correct direction. You – however – with your increased abilities, will probably have closer to a half-mile range, since you are already familiar with his scent. I say we head North West – toward Romania – maybe a mile form the city. That way we will be covered whether he decides to stop in or not. You should try to project your stealth and scentless abilities on all of us, and we'll try to gauge what we're up against."

I nodded, and he pointed the direction we should go and I took off. I slowed when I realized they, like Aro, were also considerably slower than I was.

The estimated mile passed in a blur of green, and I found a tree top with relatively thin foliage and plopped myself on a branch. My weight surprised me – the branch bowed and I thought for a moment it would snap, but it held after a loud groan of protest. And I sighed, relieved - before looking for the others.

Caius copied me – in a tree adjacent to my position – and Jane and Alec picked a tree 20 feet in front.

Waiting was the worst part of this. I _hated_ remaining motionless when Aro was in danger. I wanted nothing more than to charge ahead, obliterating the enemy in whatever fashion I deemed most painful.

I decided the time shouldn't go to waste, and I pulled out my trusty book of shadows and read a bit to pass the time.

I wanted to learn to throw fireballs – and I looked at Element Manipulation first.

I willed fire into my hand, and a tiny flame appeared in my palm. I willed it to grow, and soon I had a nice sized blaze – I wasn't sure how to "throw" it – and I couldn't really burn anything in our immediate vicinity without drawing undue attention, so I smothered the flames, and decided to try with water – assuming they'd work in the same fashion.

I willed water – and instead of an orb, my hand just got wet. _Weird._

I decided to will a raindrop. A tiny perfect blue orb hovered in my palm. I tried to close my fist around it, but suddenly it was just more water on my palm.

I decided to focus on my target instead.

I looked at the tree Jane was sitting in, and willed water to pelt the branches.

All of a sudden it was raining.

I willed it away – and tried again. I looked at a specific spot, and willed _only_ it to get wet.

With a splat – water, similar to the amount in a water balloon, landed right in that spot.

I smiled. _Sweet._

Next, I opened the pages to willing energy. I placed my hand on the side of the tree trunk, and willed the tree's energy to become my own.

The tree groaned the leaves closest to my hand shriveling up – I was sucking the life right out of it.

I stopped, and tried again – certain that I could remove energy without killing anything. Nevertheless, it was a good thing to know I _could_ kill stuff by willing their energy…

I decided to take a page from my eccentric mother's book – and I spoke to the tree – as if it could hear me.

I asked it to send only enough energy to charge me – not enough to harm it.

And my hand started to tingle. The tingles spread through my hand, up my arm and ended their journey in my heart.

I heard a curious thumping sound – like a single heartbeat - and felt invigorated.

I broke the connection to the tree – whispering a quiet, "Thank you" – _which immediately made me feel stupid. _

However, I swear, I could _feel_ a faint response – like a tingle of warmth – a 'your welcome.'

I started to get a little freaked out, and stopped fucking with my powers. And gave the tree a suspicious look.

It was almost time for the scum who kidnapped Aro to be here, anyway.

I ignored the tree – feeling a little weird for sitting on it, now that I realized it had sentience. _Creepy._

I expanded my senses – pushing them as far as possible – and breathed deeply. I ignored the hundred scents that bombarded my senses, and focused in on the tiniest hint of mint. _Gotcha._

I breathed in again – focusing on Mr. Wintergreen, and opened my eyes. I whispered into everyone's ear at once.

"On the left – at my 10 o'clock, maybe a half mile out headed West. Wintergreen and 2 friends – I do not smell Aro with them."

My heart broke a little more to think of my mate being passed off like luggage to this scum's accomplices.

_I will relish this one's torture._

I shivered a little, as I always did when my vampiric side wanted something so alien to my human senses. I figured that would pass after some time being a vampire – but my human memories were too close to the forefront of my mind just now – to casually accept _relishing_ anyone's torture. I used to faint at the sight of blood, for fuck's sake.

But despite my hesitant feelings – I knew if I could, I would keep Mr. Wintergreen alive _forever_ – so I could rip him apart over and over and _over. _Stupid prick should serve as an example of what happened when you fucked with me and mine.

Anticipation curled in me – they would be within range to hear any second. _If they were talking, of course._

Luck was on my side, and a few moments later I heard the same voice from the garden say, "How much further is it to the masters from here?"

_Really?_ The exact information I wanted? Had we been discovered spying? This was _too _good to be true.

"You will meet the masters when they wish it." A deep accented voice answered, "_And not before – _we should arrive at the border of Romania in a few short hours, and rejoin my army. The masters will contact _us_ when _they_ wish to meet with _you_."

Huh. Not what I was expecting…

I whispered to Caius – "Follow?"

He nodded, but mimed "at a distance" with both hands spread wide apart.

I kept my ears open, and listened to their footsteps. Wintergreen wasn't stealthy _at all_ – his chatting partner however barely disturbed the grass as he moved over it. He was almost undetectable, save for his scent. The other one was more average – and I assumed him to be a guard for the "voice" and Wintergreen just a tool – useless other than his gift.

Quite sad, really. Wintergreen's talent would have made him an excellent assassin – but he obviously spent no time honing his gift into a skill. Just being scentless was not enough to fool an observant vampire – one had to also be unseen, unheard…

They were finally far enough I could smell them but not hear. I jumped down from my tree and the others followed suit – with Caius and I leading – we followed.

We traveled that way for hours – following the scent but gleaning no new information. I wanted to get closer, but Caius warned against it, saying the one vampire seemed very skilled. Too skilled to be trailed closely. The fact that we were following him so easily, made Caius suspicious that a large group would soon join him.

I mentioned my vision of seeing us in a forest battling 15 vampires – and Caius looked torn.

We, of course, wanted to keep following, but neither of us really _wanted_ to fight for our lives against 15 unknown assailants.

I told him we would emerge victorious, and even end up with a vampire to torture and question – when he _finally_ decided, we should follow until we couldn't anymore.

15 vampires was apt. We had just crossed a river just east of our quarry, when vampires emerged from the trees to our North – up _fucking _wind. I'd wondered how this many would manage to get the drop on us.

We must be close to the army Wintergreen's superior mentioned.

Caius and I both engaged the vampires closest to us, and tried, in vain – to block them from getting to Jane and Alec, so they would be free to use their powers.

Just as my vision predicted – Alec did not have time to expel enough of his numbing mist to be of any use – before he was engaged in hand to hand combat with 3 enemies. Jane's ability could only be used on one person at a time – and only with concentration, so she was also at a loss.

Moreover, Caius and I - while extraordinary – couldn't kill every single vampire that went after the two of them. Who were _clearly _not used to fighting fairly.

I decided now was a fine time to work on my fireball aim – and I focused on an opponent about to tackle Jane – willing a specific spot on his shirt to light ablaze.

It worked perfectly! His shirt caught on fire, and he was sufficiently distracted trying to put the flames out.

I made myself invisible – so I wasn't targeted, and willed a bigger blaze. I wanted the whole group of them to burn, simultaneously.

I was hit – a first while in my invisible state – by accident, when Jane was attacked behind me. My invisibility slipped, and I was bitten viciously in the arm, before I managed with my regular old newborn strength to rip his head from his body.

The bite burned, the foreign venom feeling like acid poured on my skin.

My anger reached epic proportions and the haze descended over my vision like it had in the throne room.

Lightning struck, repeatedly – landing a hit each time it touched down on one of the remaining group. The burnt smell of vampire skin overwhelmed my senses, but I was in complete awe of the light show.

My arm still burned badly enough that my vigor for their deaths didn't wane a bit – but I was still able to appreciate how _fucking _cool it was to see lighting like mine. Like Zeus's bolt, it struck each person individually. Burning a huge hole in them wherever it landed, and igniting their apparently _highly flammable_ venom on the spot.

It didn't obliterate them – but they were overwhelmed by what _must_ be searing agony, and their venom rapidly accelerated the burning. Each one took only a few minutes to burn to an unrecognizable crisp.

Because my concentration wasn't broken, I was able to eliminate the last seven combatants.

The remainder lay dead or dismembered – mostly by Caius's hand.

I willed my fire to turn the parts to ashes. With enough concentration, – I was able to send out a burst, similar to a blowtorch – and I mentally patted myself on the back for my awesomeness.

However, I was _very_ tired after all that. I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Bella? Bella are you okay?" Jane's panicked voice seemed to be coming from a great distance away.

I curled myself into a ball of misery, and _asked_ the earth to help me.

Tingles spread through every bit of my exposed skin that was touching the ground. And a warmth spread through my whole body – in a wave.

I gasped at the feeling. It reminded me of the warmth I felt with Aro. I greedily absorbed it – hanging on to the memory of his touch, now so clear in my mind.

My arm burned the hottest – nearly as hot as an open flame on my skin – but the pain of the foreign venom was almost non-existent after the first few moments.

I let out a big gust of air – and opened my eyes. Stunned.

I shot to my feet – feeling the best I _ever_ had. Whispering a quiet "Thank you" – if the _tree_ could hear me – surely, the whole earth was alive.

A warm wind caressed my face, and confirmed my theory.

"Awesome" – I said to myself, before turning to look at the rest of my group.

All their faces were astonished – to such a degree – that I looked behind me to see if Jesus had suddenly appeared, or some shit.

But, no – they were staring at me, of course.

I tried for blasé – but probably only managed to look foolish – brushing off my clothes, glancing down at my now healed arm - with a casual, "What is it, guys?"

Caius stuttered – probably, a first for him – "I-Isabella. Your eyes are green."

"Oh – is _that_ it? No worries people – all witches eyes turn green when they take energy from the earth – I saw it in my book. Probably won't last long. Don't get used to it."

I waved them off – I remembered my vision of having a vampire left to interrogate… _come out, come out wherever you are._

I put my finger to my lips – signaling silence – and whispered to all of them, "My vision showed a last vampire, after the rest were vanquished."

All their gazes sharpened and looked at the surrounding forest with caution.

I opened my senses – and heard a slight rustling in the undergrowth to the north. I pointed – and willed stealth on the entire group. I turned to Caius and made a circle gesture – indicating that I would circle behind him, while they continued forward.

He nodded, and I willed my invisibility – I darted forward ahead of the rest – and circled around to the south of our new friend.

His scent got stronger, and suddenly I was standing right behind him.

I couldn't smell the others, but I assumed they would come into view in a few short seconds.

I got close enough to reach out touch him, and waited for Caius to distract him.

I got my wish a bare moment later – Caius's form appeared around the tree the stranger was standing in front of – and I used his distraction to jump on his back – my momentum sending the both of us to the forest floor.

I gripped both of his arms at the shoulders, and ripped them off.

He started screaming, "What the fuck? Who _are _you?"

I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "The real question is _who the fuck are you?_ Are you a member of the group we just slaughtered?"

"No! I don't even know those guys. I heard the fight and came over to investigate."

I willed myself to hear his thoughts, and suddenly "_I can't believe everyone's dead. The General will be so upset. He asked us to subdue anyone coming from this direction. How the fuck did these four pricks manage to kill so many?" _came through.

"Who is your master?" I asked.

"I have no idea what your talking about." he replied. However, his thoughts said different.

"_How does she know I have a Master?"_

I decided he needed a little extra incentive. I turned toward Caius.

"Hold him down for me?"

Caius bolted right over, grabbing our victim and using his put to plant a boot right in his chest.

"Take his legs, too." Caius advised.

I grabbed his legs, and pulled them off - one at a time. _Enjoying_ his screams as I did so.

I stayed tuned into his thoughts, but his pain must have overwhelmed him. He whimpered and couldn't seem to think through his agony.

Well – we can't have that, can we?

I willed his compliance, wondering why I hadn't earlier – and spoke calmly.

"You will tell me about your Master now."

He immediately began to speak - "I don't know the Master's name. I've never seen him. His orders are always relayed by proxy. I have only met his second – General Markofski."

"Is Markofski the one we followed here? The guy traveling in a group of three that just passed through?"

"Yes."

"How many does he have in his 'army'?"

"As of the last time I saw them – there were over a hundred."

"Where is the camp?"

"Just 50 miles North East of here."

"How many are gifted?"

"I do not know – but the General has a talent for manipulation. A silver tongue – anyone who engages him in conversation is susceptible."

"What is your position in the army?"

"Just a guard."

"How many officers are there?"

"Two – a Lieutenant and a Captain."

"Their names and talents?"

"I don't know I've only ever heard them referred to by titles. If either has a gift, they do not show it."

"What is their battle plan?"

"We were not told. We await orders from the Master."

"How are the messages relayed?"

"Cell phone – I've seen the General carrying it with him."

"So you have no idea of the Master's location?"

"No." He confirmed.

I finally looked to Caius – wondering if there was anything more he wanted of our informant.

He asked, "Are all the vampires in the army convened together now? Or are there other teams like this one patrolling?"

I looked back at our unfortunate victim - "Answer him" I willed.

"Two other similar teams, of the same proportions – though they are posted much closer to the army, itself. Only 5 miles from the main camp, to the East and West. They send scouts in 15 minute intervals – between the two groups running a circuit."

Caius nodded – looked at me and made the "slit his throat" gesture – running a finger from the right side to the left of his own throat.

I looked down and asked, "What is your full name?"

"Grigore Donovan Popa."

"I am truly sorry for your fate today, Grigore Popa." With that – I sent a flame into the pool of venom under him. And he ignited quickly.

I willed him to feel no pain. However, I was not sure I was entirely successful – only that his demise was quick. I shrugged. At least I tried.

"So... what's the plan, now?" I asked Caius.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this one out - something about this chapter just doesn't sit right with me... but I got tired of staring at it, and decided to move on. Reviews are always appreciated! A


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